– denies rift with Jagdeo
Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation Dr Henry Jeffrey yesterday said he had agreed to take up a post a diplomatic post in Suriname but he dismissed reports of a disagreement with the President Bharrat Jagdeo at this week’s cabinet meeting.
According to a statement issued by the Government Information Agency (GINA) last evening, Jeffrey said that over the last eight months he has been engaging in discussions at the Office of the President (OP) about shifting his position. He added that during a recent discourse with President Jagdeo he agreed that he could take up a position in neighbouring Suriname. “I thought that I was around the ministerial thing a bit too long and I was identifying positions that I would like to shift to. None of them were diplomatic so to speak, because it was never my intention to leave Guyana and for one reason or another sometimes the positions were taken and sometimes what they offered was not sufficient and things like that,” Jeffrey said.
Meanwhile, GINA said Jeffrey debunked a news item in yesterday’s Kaieteur News, where it was stated a disagreement between him and President Bharrat Jagdeo at Tuesday’s statutory cabinet meeting precipitated the move. But Jeffrey said it was impossible since he was absent from the last statutory meeting. He told GINA that much speculation over the issue was hanging and that the writer of the article should have approached him for a comment.
While Jeffrey did admit that he and the President had differing views over the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU, he said it was not the first time they had a difference of opinion. “It’s my job as a minister, as stated in the Constitution, to be an advisor to the government. I advise and it’s for the government and the cabinet to take that advice… I would assume that would be expected if you are going to discuss issues,” he said.