St. Lucia to Appoint Honorary Consul to Cayenne

Contact: Rose Marie Harris

Saturday, April 29, 2000 – St. Lucia is about to appoint an Honorary Consul to Cayenne.  That’s the word from Foreign Affairs Minister Honourable George Odlum, who made the revelation to over a thousand St. Lucians residing in Cayenne.  Mr. Odlum who was accompanied by Agriculture Minister, Honourable Cass Elias, said the Government of Saint Lucia “will soon appoint an Honorary Consul”, who would be able to attend to their needs.

The presence of an Honorary Consul, Mr. Odlum added, “will make it easier and less costly” to renew their passports, as technology today made it possible by computer, thus also saving the cost of traveling to St. Lucia for that purpose.   “Such a representative, when chosen and appointed, will also be able to make representation to the French authorities on behalf of the thousands of St. Lucians who are still without naturalization or normalization papers after living here for decades,” the Foreign Minister added.

In his address, the St. Lucia Foreign Minister emphasized “the value of good neighbourliness in today’s world of globalisation.” He urged the people of Cayenne and St. Lucians living there “to continue to work together and understand the value of unity, understanding and cooperation, as we have been separated for too long.”

Mr. Odlum said St. Lucia was grateful to France for having eased and removed the visa requirement for St. Lucians traveling to Martinique, Guadeloupe and Cayenne.

The St. Lucians, who turned out in large numbers, were interested in finding out what could be done to make travel to St. Lucia less expensive and more hassle free.  Mr. Elias indicated that talks were in progress with Cayenne-based airlines regarding the possibility of making direct flights to St. Lucia without the long, eight-hour delays in transit in Martinique.

Among the other views expressed at the meeting was that St. Lucia needed to consider developing commercial and economic ties with Cayenne.  Mr. Elias replied that such talks were already in progress with the local Chamber of Commerce in search of a formula that would have to be worked out within the confines of French Guiana’s status as an “Overseas Territory” of France operating within the European Union.

Many speakers expressed a need for continuing to teach St. Lucian history and culture to the children of St. Lucians born in Cayenne.  They said this was something already being done at home, but it needed to be institutionalized through the establishment of a proposed “St. Lucia House” to be operated collectively by the St. Lucian associations.

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