IN CONTRAST to an earlier reported diplomatic snub by President Barack Obama of President Desi Bouterse in New York last week, the leader of superpower United States and the Head of State of the ex-Dutch colony of Suriname shook hands earlier this week at a luncheon event hosted by United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
News of the reported “firm handshake” was sourced to Suriname’s Foreign Ministry in Paramaribo and confirmed by independent diplomatic sources.
Last weekend this columnist had exclusively reported how Bouterse was the only CARICOM Head of Government to have been strangely excluded from a reception hosted by Obama for world leaders attending the current 65th session of the UN General Assembly.
This past Wednesday, after experiencing difficulties in reaching the Suriname Foreign Ministry on the Obama-Bouteres “handshake”, I requested of the Georgetown-based Surinamese ambassador to Guyana, Manorma Soeknandan, a response from her Foreign Minister on that diplomatic gesture at the UN Secretary General’s luncheon event.
Whatever the circumstances surrounding Bouterse’s non-appearance at the United Staes Museum of National History for Obama’s reception – as known to other CARICOM leaders in attendance – the handshake gesture is viewed as reflecting “matured diplomacy” by Washington, consistent with a United States State Department earlier expressed “recognition” of the Surinamese President as a “democratically elected” Head of State.
The Netherlands government in Amsterdam maintains a hostile attitude against the controversial former military coup leader. A Dutch court had sentenced him 11 years ago to prison for alleged cocaine trafficking. But following the May general election, the United States State Department had told the media that it “supports democratic elections and processes” and, therefore, was looking forward to maintaining “good ties with the people of Suriname”.
Further, that the United States administration expects President Bouterse to “stand firm against corruption and respect democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law. . .”
Since his majority victory in May’s election for the 51-seat parliament and the subsequent popular endorsement in August as Suriname’s new Head of State, Bouterse has made clear that he has no intention of “interfering” in the current military court trial of murder charges against him in connection with the killings of 15 political opponents in 1982 while he was in control of state power.
The on-and-off trial is headed by a judge of the national court but hearings have been proceeding at a slow pace due to reluctance by some witnesses, both for the prosecution and defence, to participate as expected.
Meanwhile, as Bouterse strives to improve his public image at home and continues to sneer at a Dutch court’s decision 11 years ago to sentence him to prison, in his absence, on allegations of cocaine trafficking, some CARICOM governments with initial reservations about “doing business as usual” with Suriname under his watch, are engaging with him.
Following his participation with CARICOM Heads at a caucus session in New York, last week, Bouterse is to attend the Community’s first Inter-Sessional Meeting for 2011 set for February in Grenada. Suriname is due to host the 2012 annual CARICOM Summit.
• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.