Jamaica-U.S. extradition row causes jitters

The acting American ambassador to Jamaica did his best in recent days to assure Jamaicans that a bitter row between Washington and Kingston over the extradition of a Jamaican drug don will not affect diplomatic relations, but Jamaicans say evidence is pointing in the opposite direction.

Charge dAffaires Isiah Parnell has been telling local newspapers such as The Gleaner newspaper that the overall relationship with Jamaica and the U.S. remains the same, but ordinary Jamaicans who have read about the cancellation of entry visas to five of the Caribbean islands top entertainers last week say this is proof positive that the U.S. is playing hardball. The fact is that both here and in other countries, you sometimes encounter difficult issues, said the man running the mission in the absence of an appointed ambassador.

World reknown Dancehall stars Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado and Aidonia, as well as selector Ricky Trooper learned of their very sudden visa cancellations just as local media was also reporting that at least three government ministers are under themicroscope of federal investigators about alleged links to the underworld. Several others in the top echelons of Jamaican society including businessmen are reportedly also in the sights of the U.S. Still Parnell says everything is ok.

Washington and Kingston have been trading diplomatic barbs over alleged delaying tactics by the Bruce Golding Administration relating to the American request for the extradition of a West Kingston strongman and alleged drug don Christopher Dudus Coke.

Coke is widely known to run the underworld of the sometimes volatile Tivoli Gardens community that Golding represents in Parliament.

In the view of the U.S., Golding has been putting every conceivable obstacle in the way of having a local court hear the American request to send him north to face international drug trafficking charges including charges that the U.S. broke Jamaican law by illegally wiretapping Cokes telephone conversations. Golding says Jamaican authorities were very upset at the illegal wiretapping of Cokes telephone as it had breached local laws.

But in the past week, Golding has publicly said that his administration will allow the courts to rule on the matter and determine what should be the fate of Coke whose late father once headed the notorious Jamaican-led Shower Posse drug organization in the US. Evidence from wiretaps will be part of the key evidence in the case against the Jamaican don.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kenneth Baugh has said that the situation has not been made much better by the damming and stronger than usual annual American human rights report issued last month that basically gave the island a failing grade in some areas like the fight against drugs.

He said they are more harmful rather than helpful. I have a difficulty with these reports when they get in front of the press I find them excessive, inappropriate and overdone in terms of harmful statements that are made that can affect these countries, he said.