POND ISLAND--A four-person delegation from the United States Government is visiting the country to start negotiations about the establishment of US immigration and customs pre-clearance at Princess Juliana International Airport and possibly at Dr. A.C Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities.
Prime Minister William Marlin announced the start of talks on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers Press Briefing. He said the formal negotiations will get underway at 9:00am tomorrow, Thursday, with an introduction meeting with Government this afternoon.
Pre-clearance at the cruise port will also be part of the negotiations to facilitate future expansion of homeporting.
"We are very excited about this [the start of negotiations .Ed] ... once again we are taking the lead," Marlin said.
St. Maarten is "being viewed with a certain amount of envy" by the rest of the region, the prime minister said.
