St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mark Brantley remain tight-lipped over the absence of St. Kitts and Nevis on the non-binding United Nations resolution that called upon all states to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia were the only two Caribbean nations absent from their seats when the vote was taken.
While the St Lucia Government says the location of a foreign mission is solely a decision for a sovereign country to make, Prime Minister Harris and Foreign Minister Brantley are keeping nationals in the dark for the absence of St. Kitts and Nevis.
No CARICOM country was in support of the US move with Washington gaining the nod from Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo.
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago were among the 35 countries that abstained during the vote.
Barbados, Belize, Dominica Grenada, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname were among the 128 countries that voted in favour of the resolution.
Sources say Prime Minister Harris issued instructions for St. Kitts and Nevis to be absent from the vote fearful of a threat issued by United States President Donald Trump that Washington would re-consider its relationship that supported the resolution.
Barbados, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago have been outlining the reasons for their positions on the vote while St Vincent and the Grenadines had outlined its position before the matter came to the United Nations.
“It can be taken only as a retreat, a retreat from principle, a retreat from courage. Abstention very verbally or physically can never be the basis on sound strategic or principled regional foreign policy direction. It means you cannot go into a vote and some people vote for, some abstain and some just don’t show up. Am not calling any names,” said Jamaica’s PNP parliamentarian, Hon. Lisa Hanna, guest speaker at the annual New Year Gala hosted by the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas.