A "passing cloud, ’ Gairy says

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33452, 6 February 1974, Page 11

A "passing cloud, ’ Gairy says

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) ST GEORGE’S (Grenada), February 5. The Prime Minister of Grenada (Mr i Eric Gairy) has called the pre-independence turmoil in Grenada a “passing cloud” and said that the island would be back to normal within a few weeks. [

In a wide-ranging press conference, the Prime Minister dismissed the New Jewel Movement, leading calls for his resignation, as “a bunch of crazy young men, ail hot and sweaty,”’ and said that they would be met by arms if they tried to take the Government by! ! force. The dapper Prime Min-. ister. dressed in neatlypressed White slacks and shoes, maroon jacket, and socks, spoke to reporters for more than an hour last night on the lawns of Mount Royal,! his residence in the hills! above St George’s Harbour. ' He said that Grenada faced a dire shortage of fuel, through the shutdown of essential services aimed at forcing him out of office before the country gained its, independence from Britain on Thursday, but added that: ■ there . were plans to normalise the situation within a very short time. “It would be premature at this junction to say how,” he said. "We would have to assess and evaluate the situation at the time.” Asked if he would arrest rhe men who organised the island shutdown, he said this was a security question and he could not answer. After independence, he said, the island would be: looking for economic, profes-, sional and technological ’

; co-operation from all friendly ' nations. "In return we will, give what we have, what the ; tourists are looking for. We ;.have the loveliest island in .the world.” Asked about aid from! : other Caribbean countries, he said that there would be none! in any recognisable measure. "But if we wanted some assistance we would go to Trinidad and they’d be pleased to lend us a coast guard or something like that. "The relationship between Grenada and the Carifta (Caribbean Free Trade Area) ' countries is quite good.” Mr Gairy said that he would be glad to talk to anyJone to resolve the island’sproblems, but the Government was not going to reduce itself to the level of any 1 organisation in the State. I “We did talk with the churchmen and told them to talk to the other groups.” He said that if the New Jewel group wanted to take the Government by arms. “They must know they will be met by arms. We have: strong security measures, we certainly have, but if I put aside all the security measures I have in this country they still cannot take the country. "To take the country they have to take the people and jl still claim that we have 90 per cent of the people at 'our backs.” ,i