Outgoing Consul General Gregory Slayton has denied the US is being hypocritical by dumping ex-Guantanamo Bay prisoners on Bermuda while operating a strict stop list of its own.

And he said the US Consulate was working hard to further reduce the waiting times for Bermudian ex-criminals appealing against their travel ban to America.

Recently St. George's deputy mayor Kenny Bascome complained that Bermuda had accepted the four Chinese Uighars but the States was routinely barring entry to rehabilitated prisoners from Bermuda via the stop list.

Asked if there were double standards Mr. Slayton said the US stop list applied to criminals the world over it wasn't just about barring Bermudians. "We have enough criminals in the States already. If you commit a crime in your country you are putting in jeopardy your chance of coming to the US," he said.

That is why the US Consul had been campaigning to raise awareness of the consequences of crime, said Mr. Slayton.

And he said his office had speeded up handling of visa waivers for those arguing they should come off the stop list.

"When I got here the visa waiver process took over a year, now it is just a couple of months or even quicker. We are working to further reduce that process and make it even shorter. We are doing what we can. We understand it is vitally important to a lot of Bermudians."

Mr. Slayton was one of many high-ranking diplomats not informed that the four Uighars were coming to Bermuda. But he refused to speculate whether if he known beforehand some of the diplomatic mess, which threatened to damage US/UK relations, could have been avoided.

But now the dust has settled he said the US Government was deeply grateful for Bermuda's move. "I am not just talking about the President, although of course the Secretary of State wrote to Premier Brown thanking his Government for this. I am talking about Senators and Congressmen of both parties who very much appreciate the friendship Bermuda has shown to the United States by providing a home for these four gentlemen who were wrongly incarcerated let's be clear about that. That was very regrettable."Talks continue on a long-term solution said Mr. Slayton. Asked if the bold move would help spike the guns of Washington politicians planning punitive tax laws against Bermuda, Mr. Slayton said: "There's an old saying, make your friends before you need them. "In doing this the Government of Bermuda has again elevated Bermuda's status as a trusted friend and ally."That is something that Americans of both political parties and throughout Washington DC deeply appreciate."Expressing satisfaction and gratitude about his four-year stay in Bermuda Mr. Slayton reserved his strongest words for the private education system. The father-of-four said: "A number of private schools need to be dramatically improved. I know expats are leaving Bermuda because they don't consider their kids can get a proper education here. That's really an issue."He said his older boys were at Warwick and his daughter had just graduated from BHS. "Both those were good experiences."But he said the two years his older boys spent at Saltus caused concern. He said there was no reason the school shouldn't be a regional leader, but it wasn't even the best school on the block because of "discipline, fights and security"."They are not retaining the best teachers. I don't want to go into all the details."He added that Bermuda, which has a knowledge-based economy, has to make sure its education, both public and private, is performing at its best to stay on top. Mr. Slayton, who ran a high-tech company in Silicon Valley, before coming to Bermuda, said international business was well served in Bermuda but he warned against complacency. "There is no eleventh commandment that says 'thou shall locate in Bermuda'." Bermudians have to work hard to make sure this jurisdiction remains attractive said Mr. Slayton. Recently Mr. Slayton hit the headlines championing press freedom. Asked if he felt it was under threat after Government withdrew all its advertising from The Royal Gazette he said: "Speaking personally I was surprised and I don't think that was the right thing to do but it's a Bermuda Government policy. "But freedom of the press is vitally important, we support it worldwide, including right here in Bermuda."Asked about his contribution to Bermuda Mr. Slayton believes he has increased the service levels at the US Consulate."Everything except a formal interview you can do online."Things were very different when he arrived. "The Governor at the time summed it up very well in our very first meeting."He said 'there are a lot of people at your Consulate and virtually no one on this Island knows what they do'. I appreciated him being honest with me."One problem had been the year-long gap between his predecessor going and Mr. Slayton arriving, finally bringing an end to the constant flux which harmed service. "Between 1999 and 2005 there was something like eight Consuls General and acting Consuls General."Mr. Slayton won't reveal his own leaving date is but is delighted his successor, a woman, will arrive very soon, maybe in August or September, to make sure no momentum is lost.He says it's someone with a long and successful history as a career diplomat.Mr. Slayton said he was proud about setting up what has become an annual diplomatic blitz of Washington every spring."I believe that is something that is now established that every spring, no matter who the Consul General is, who the Premier is or even who the President the relationship between the US and Bermuda is so important that the meeting of leaders has to happen."Preparing to depart Bermuda in the next few weeks Mr. Slayton says he will go back to high-tech venture capitalism, where he made his fortune, before being persuaded to go into diplomacy. And he will also be a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tuck, the business school of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. He's had plenty of offers for work in Bermuda but said it would be unethical to explore that while still in his post. But he did not rule out interest. "We do have a lot of friends in Bermuda and have enjoyed our time here. Some very fine international companies have broached the subject but I have always said let's not talk about this until I am out of the post because of conflict of interest."Outspoken in private Mr. Slayton has kept his counsel in public. But he admitted it's not been difficult to carefully weigh his words as a diplomat. "I think we would all benefit from being a little bit more discrete and careful with our words."