Foreign Trade Minister Clement Rohee's visa problems are not at an end. Until otherwise advised, he still has to apply for a visa every time he has to travel to or through the United States.

Informed sources have told Stabroek News that the visa recently issued to Rohee and for which he applied in December, is a single entry visa valid for three months. This newspaper has been informed that as a consequence Rohee would have to apply for a visa every time he wishes to travel to or through the United States.

Stabroek News understands that the single entry visa was issued to Rohee after the embassy here pressed for a determination on his application because of the speculation about the reasons for the delay.

This newspaper understands too that the visa was issued pending the completion of the lengthy clearance procedures now in place following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Rohee's woes began in December when he applied for a visa to travel to the US en route to a Free Trade of the Americas Heads of Government Summit in Mexico. Owing to the delay in the issuance of the visa, Rohee had to travel to Mexico via Caracas.

US embassy officials downplayed the delay in the issuance of the visa explaining that the application had not been denied, but had been passed to Washington DC for it to be issued from there. No other application by a Guyana government minister has been subjected to this process. However, the embassy did revoke the visas issued to Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj and his wife, Chandra Gajraj. Revocation of Gajraj's visa followed similar action by the Canadian government. Both governments have declined to state the reasons for their action, even though the minister has waived his rights under the privacy laws of Canada and the United States.