Mr. Sears was appointed Bahamas Ambassador to the United States in May 2000 and is expected to leave office at the end of July when his contract expires.
Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell made that announcement in the House of Assembly yesterday while wrapping up his contribution to the 2006/2007 budget debate.
The minister however did not reveal Mr. Searsﾒ replacement in Washington.
It is understood that the ambassador is returning home to run as an FNM candidate in Exuma in the next general election.
Minister Mitchell also revealed that the 2006/2007 fiscal year will mark the official openings of several diplomatic offices and see the appointment of several diplomats.
“I wish to announce that the United States government has agreed to the appointment of Michael Young, a former employee of Delta Airlines, who is a Bahamian and well-known in the city of Atlanta to be our Honourary Consul for the state of Georgia. Given the large number of Bahamians in Georgia, we believe that this would go some way to assist in consular issues there,” Minister Mitchell said.
“I wish to announce also the appointment of Dr. Monica Davis as Honourary Consul for the Bahamas in Trinidad & TobagoﾅIt is my proud honour to also announce the appointment of Jacqueline Osadebay-Marsellek as Honourary Consul for The Bahamas in Belize.”
Prime Minister Perry Christie recently approved the appointment of a consul to the Bahamian embassy in China. The embassy opened earlier this year with Philip Miller serving as Head of Mission.
Minister Mitchell expressed hope that the officer would be in place before this fall.
The Foreign Affairs minister further announced that the Embassy in Cuba should open on July 17 barring any unforeseen circumstances.
With the European Union being such an important trading and development assistance partner for The Bahamas, Minister Mitchell acknowledged that the time may come to consider opening an embassy in Brussels, the capital of the European Union.
But he admitted that this is something that will have to be decided by the next administration following a new mandate.
“Brussels is certainly an important centre, but there has to be some advanced planning particularly as The Bahamas looks at our possible accession to the WTO.”
The minister said that within this upcoming fiscal year there will be a number of EU funded projects completed or begun.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
