Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer

Oranjestad, Aruba:

While admitting that regional governments fell down with the timing of the controversial Caribbean Community (CARICOM) visa, Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, said yesterday that security risks related to the event were real and that there was no room for error.

She was addressing journalists and hoteliers at the start of Caribbean Marketplace in Oranjestad, Aruba, yesterday afternoon.

The visa regime, which takes effect on February 1, was agreed on by the CARICOM Council of Ministers of National Security and is aimed at better securing the nine countries hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, as well as Dominica.

However, key tourism industry officials in both the public and private sectors, appears not to have been engaged in the early deliberations which led to the establishment of the visa regime. This has contributed to a volley of heated exchanges over the past several weeks.

No terrorist plot

Minister Mottley, an attorney-at-law, who had been accused of grossly mishandling the implementation period of the visa, was cautious about revealing any information she believed could compromise national security measures. She did say, however, there was no terrorist plot that the council was aware of, but there was enough on the ground to take the necessary precautions.

"When we decided to take on Cricket World Cup, (we felt) our challenges would extend to crowd control and domestic crime," she told the gathering. "However, unfortunately, that picture has changed."

She said that, like domestic crime, the fighting of any terrorism or other major security breach depends on intelligence. Hence, a number of platforms have been put in place to screen those who pose no risks.

Three primary platforms were adopted:

(1)The establishment of a single domestic space, which will see visitors from certain countries in Eastern Europe and Asia and Australia requiring a visa to enter the region.

(2) The establishment of an advance passenger reservation system.

(3) Establishment of an intelligence infusion centre.

Minister Mottley said many cricketing nations scheduled to play in the region were beset with the global war against terror. These countries include Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka.

But despite her presentation, the minister and her team were criticised by an equally vocal Josef Fortsmayr, Austria's Honorary Consul to Jamaica, and president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Horace Peterkin.

"This is the worst public relations nightmare that the Caribbean has ever created for itself," said Forstmayr, who told The Gleaner earlier that his Round Hill resort had lost thousands of dollars from cancelled reservations.