No support for Alabama Governor Bob Riley
A.M. Digital
11/10/2005

The Governor of Alabama, Bob Riley, receives no support of the United States Government for his call to boycott Aruba as a vacation destination. This was announced by the acting US Ambassador in Holland, Mr. Chat Blakeman during a meeting at the Department of Foreign Affairs in The Hague last evening.

As is known Bob Riley, supported by Beth Twitty who is the mother of the teen student that disappeared in Aruba last May, last Tuesday called for a boycott of Aruba as a vacation destination. His call for boycott was made because, according to Beth Twitty and her family, the Aruba authorities are not making sufficient efforts to solve the case of the disappeared teen student. Governor Riley also requested his colleagues in all other American states to support his call for boycott of Aruba.

Aruba Prime Minister at that point made an appeal on the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, of which Aruba forms part, to request the US Government for an explanation. The American acting Ambassador in Holland indicated that “the statements of the Governor do not reflect the vision of the United States”

The Dutch Government underlined once more that everything was done to bring the Natalee Holloway case to an end, and that the island of Aruba continues to be a safe destination for American visitors. The Dutch Ambassador in Washington will soon discuss this matter with the US Department of Foreign Affairs.

Aruba Prime Minister Oduber is very concerned for the effects of a possible boycott. Aruba is highly dependent on the tourism industry for its revenues. “Aruba is not Cuba, or North Korea, or Irak. We are allies of the United States and we work together with the United States to fight drug trafficking and money laundering” said Oduber.

The tourism statistics after May, the month in which the student disappeared, show no decline in the number of American tourists. According to Managing Director of the Aruba Tourism Authority, Myrna Jansen, Americans say to be less declined to travel to Aruba but apparently they act otherwise.

[English language original text]