financial watchdog in May, Premier Jennifer Smith revealed yesterday.

And top UK Government officials will head for the Island after the upcoming White Paper on Britain's rewrite of relations with its colonies is released to gauge reaction.

Ms Smith said the Island had been invited to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development conference when she and Finance Minister Eugene Cox visited the Paris headquarters of the group last week.

She added talks in Paris with the group -- currently drawing up a hitlist of dodgy offshore jurisdictions with Bermuda one of the countries spotlighted -- were "most helpful and mutually satisfactory''.

Ms Smith said: "We are now certain that Bermuda's position has been clarified and I am pleased to report that the Bermuda Government has been invited and has accepted the invitation to attend the OECD forum in May to ensure that Bermuda has first hand representation.'' The OECD probe into "harmful tax jurisdictions'' included the Island -- but the previous Government and the current one insisted Bermuda was a special case.

A report in defence of Bermuda's position submitted to the OECD last year pointed out that Bermuda is a low-tax -- not a no-tax -- country and that there are no special deals for offshore businesses compared to local ones.

And the report stressed Bermuda is squeaky-clean in its business dealings -- unlike some other offshore centres which have a poor reputation.

Ms Smith also met UK Foreign Office junior Minister Baroness Symons and top civil servants in London.

She said: "The meeting was extremely cordial and focused on what form the forthcoming White Paper on Overseas Territories might take.

"It was agreed that each country be considered individually and that Mr. John White, head of the Overseas Territories Department, would visit Bermuda following the release of the White Paper to hear first-hand Bermuda's response.'' Ms Smith and Finance Minister Eugene Cox also visited the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer's HQ and met financial and tax officials.

Ms Smith said: "We combined the Bermuda International Business Association's briefing visits in New York and London with Tourism visits and Government's annual attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.'' She added: "All in all, I can report that the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party Government representatives successfully reassured Bermuda clients, opened new avenues of endeavour and promoted Bermuda Tourism during the course of the past seventeen days.'' Ms Smith said: "While intensive, the combination of Tourism and business with attendance at the World Economic Forum are clearly an efficient and worthwhile method of generating positive for Bermuda on a variety of levels.''