THE GOVERNMENT has put an action plan in place to have Jamaica's name cleared from the United States Department of State's list of nations involved in human trafficking, amid staunch of defence of the report yesterday by Washington's Condoleezza Rice.
Maxine Henry-Wilson, the Minister of Education, Youth and Culture, told journalists during yesterday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House that Cabinet had discussed the requirements for removing Jamaica from the list.
According to Mrs. Henry Wilson, who was sitting in for Information Minister Burchell Whiteman who is off the island, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is to host a meeting on the issue with other relevant ministries.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to put together a response which will be sent to the U.S. State Department and, in addition, the minister is to embark on a number of diplomatic actions with a view to removing Jamaica from that watch list," Mrs. Henry-Wilson said.
U.S. STANDS BEHIND ASSESSMENT
Rice, the U.S. Secretary of State, yesterday said the Bush administration is likely to stand behind its assessment that Jamaica is not doing enough to combat the trafficking of persons.
Rice, who was attending the 35th General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Fort Lauderdale, said that although Washington would consider the Jamaican Government's view on the issue, it is "pretty careful with regard to its assessments which are done according to transparent criteria."
