His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Peter Smith left Cayman on Saturday, November 25 for a round of top-level meetings in London, including attending the annual Cayman Islands Government reception and visiting the Cayman Government's London offices. On his return journey, he will make a stop in Miami for the two-day annual mini-conference of Caribbean Overseas Territories (OT) Governors, returning to Cayman on the night of Tuesday, December 5.

Mr. John White, head of the Overseas Territories Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will accompany the Governor back to Cayman. Mr. White will undertake an official tour during his four-day visit and will return to the UK on the night of December 9. The itinerary for this visit is to be released separately.

While in London, the Governor will meet with the Treasury Department and will hold discussions with the House of Commons "All-Party Group." He will also visit the House of Lords, where he will meet with Baroness Patricia Scotland and Lord Wallace, the Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesman.

Among topics on the Governor's agenda at the Treasury will be the FATF (Financial Action Task Force), the OECD, the MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty) and the recent KPMG report.

The Governor said that he will assure the Treasury that the newly sworn-in government will continue dialogue on these topics "within the framework already established and with the objective of securing within that framework the best interest of the Cayman Islands as an international financial centre."

The House of Commons All-Party Group, whose members Mr. Ian Bruce, host of the group, and Ms. Cheryl Gillian visited Cayman last year, maintains an interest in Cayman. The Governor will brief the group comprising some 10 to 12 parliamentarians on developments here.

The annual Cayman Islands Government reception will be hosted for the first time by newly appointed Cayman Islands London Representative, Mrs. Jennifer Dilbert. The Governor will be taking the opportunity to introduce Mrs. Dilbert, to support the office's new emphases and foci, such as greater pro-activity and more press contacts, and to promote the opportunities presented by a new government back home.

"I am very pleased about the timing of the trip to the UK," the Governor said. While dictated by the fixed date of the annual reception, its timing so soon after the swearing of a new government "can do a lot of good. I am very pleased."

The Governor said that he was also delighted that the head of the Overseas Territories Department would be travelling back with him, affording an opportunity to meet the new players.

His overseas tour will conclude with the governors mini-conference in Miami, which comes mid-way between the annual "All Governors Conferences," the most recent having been held in May 2000 in London.

Attended by the five Caribbean Overseas Territories governors, the mini-conference will focus on some of the specific concerns of regional OT governors. These will include the White Paper, constitutional review, follow-up to the KPMG Report, and financial crime/drugs.

Other topics will include aviation and security, general law and order and related issues, and good governance and the use of the Good Government Fund, from which the National Drug Council's web site was recently underwritten.