US Official Says GOV’T Showing Strong Leadership in Moving Country Forward

Deputy Assistant Secretary in the United States (US) Department of State, Juan Gonzalez, has hailed Jamaica’s economic programme and the leadership being shown by the Government in making the right decisions to take the country forward.

He noted that the Government is doing what is required to attract investments from the US and other parts of the world.

Noting that the programme is bearing results, he cited among other things, Jamaica’s most recent success as the best performing stock market in the world.

“Jamaica has been a star performer through the International Monetary Fund Economic Reform Programme. In some cases, I think, the show of true leadership is making the decisions that are right for your country when sometimes they may not be the easiest decisions politically,” he said.

Mr. Gonzalez, who was in Jamaica for the Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC), was addressing a press conference held recently at the US Embassy in St. Andrew.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary, who has responsibility for Central America and the Caribbean, said the US is looking to strengthen cooperation with the region and take advantage of the successes being experienced by Jamaica and other countries.

He noted that the “numerous visits” by President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry are in keeping with that goal.

“We see an amazing set of opportunities,  political and economic, in the western hemisphere and to take advantage of them we have to be active… countries in the Caribbean, like Jamaica, are leading the way and we want to have a stake in that success,” he said.

Mr. Gonzales hailed Jamaica as an important partner and leader in the region.

“When we look at the US relationship within the western hemisphere, in few places is it as strong and broad-based as in Jamaica. You name the issue; I think we have strong cooperation with this Government,” he pointed out.

“Be it economic, law enforcement or multilateral cooperation, Jamaica is a regional leader,” he added.

CANSEC, held in Kingston from January 26 to 29, was jointly hosted by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the United States Southern Command (US SOUTHCOM). It provided a forum for defence and security chiefs from across the region to hold collective discussions on mutual and common security concerns while sharing experiences and ideas.

During his visit to Jamaica, Mr. Gonzalez met with the Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Hon. Peter Phillips, and the Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding, to discuss a broad range of issues.