Premier Alex Scott has been challenged to take a lie detector test with Opposition Wayne Furbert to find out who is right about their meeting in January when Mr. Furbert claims he was verbally invited to join a forthcoming diplomatic mission to Washington DC.

A frosty relationship developed between the two men at the House of Assembly last Friday over the dispute about whether or not the United Bermuda Party's top man was given such a bi-partisan welcome to be part of the Government's entourage when it meets influential US politicians at the White House and Capital Hill on May 17 and 18.

Premier Mr. Scott said such an arrangement would be highly irregular and was never made. He said a note-taker at the meeting had no record of such an undertaking being discussed.

"There's no way he could have left my office with that impression. It is a figment of his imagination. The subject was not discussed," said Mr. Scott.

Shortly afterwards Mr. Furbert replied: "I was surprised to hear the Premier say that he did not tell me that I was invited to the US. It was clear to me then. When I met the Premier in January it was a courtesy call and it was not an important meeting for people to be there taking notes.

"I spoke about it being time for us to work together. He said he would like to include me in this trip. I'm willing to take a polygraph test with the Premier to lay my integrity on the line to see if I heard that or not. One of us is lying right now."

And Mr. Furbert said he was disappointed at what he claimed was an earlier throwaway comment by Mr. Scott when he addressed the matter indicating that, if Mr Furbert "was not on drugs he should be."

Minister without Portfolio Walter Lister said the leader had not made that remark, to which Shadow Finance Minister Pat Gordon-Pamplin said she, Mr. Furbert and Opposition house leader John Barritt said they had heard the remark.

When Mr. Scott later addressed the matter again, he said: "Politicians must connect with the people. The Government does it by introducing policies while the Opposition attempts to get the public's attention through headlines and inches."

Mr. Scott went on to highlight certain Opposition members said to be the most effective headline grabbers, including Mrs. Louise Jackson, Dr. Grant Gibbons and Mr. Maxwell Burgess. Speaking of the January meeting with Mr. Furbert, he said: "He grabbed headlines because he wants the people to believe that he walked into my office and my lips started to move and say 'I want you to come to Washington with me'. That did not happen.

"It's not my White House to be inviting people to. It's not my Washington. It is not normal protocol to bring the Opposition. When we go on behalf of Bermuda we will have to go through our policies. It is inappropriate and unprecedented to take into that process the Opposition. Why should a Premier take the Opposition into that cauldron of politics?"

Mr Scott added that it would be ineffectual to bring the Opposition because there would be a divergence of opinions on certain issues.

"We are there to discuss the Government's policies not the policies the Opposition would like to see in place. We need to go there with one voice to speak on behalf of Bermuda. It is not protocol and no one does it."

He pointed out that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has had three Opposition leaders and none of them have been brought on a trip to Washington to discuss policies.

"It may be what he thought was said.

"It may be what he wished was said but it is not what I said. A top civil servant was there and took copious notes of the conversation. His notes do not mention an invitation.

"But we will extend an invitation now. We will go to Washington and invite the Senators and Congressmen to come and see Bermuda and the policies for themselves and the Opposition can meet them at functions in Bermuda."