Archbishop Edward Scott, one of the experts at the Beyond Barriers meeting on Saturday, said he is leaving the Island with optimism.

"You have a situation here that could be developed as a model of working at issues,'' he said.

There was a "legacy of goodwill'' in the Island. He was also encouraged by the close inter-relationship between black and white communities in Bermuda and what he saw as a relatively small gap between "haves and have-nots''.

The Archbishop, a former head of the Anglican church in Canada, is a supporter of the rights of native Canadians. He is also known for his work in the anti-apartheid movement.

It was through his work on South Africa that he met Bermudian campaigner Mr.

Glen Fubler, who invited him to the conference.

"The race situation here is infinitely better than in many other parts of the world I've been in,'' the Archbishop told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

"A good deal of progress has been made. The trouble is, that the issues here have become much more subtle. They're not the clear black and white issues that slavery involved. Therefore, they're harder to address.'' This meant Bermudians needed to "understand each other as human beings'' and be respectful to one another.

One of the subtle problems was the assumption that black people are not capable of moving into certain positions. This was a colonial legacy, he said.

Another problem was that Bermudians had not been forced to unite in the face of any outside threat.

Government and business needed to get more involved in tackling racial problems, he said.

Training was a means by which more Bermudians could move into positions now held by foreigners.

He said he felt the conference had been worthwhile because it gave people a chance to speak out. People who felt anger could reflect on the reasons for it, and use it in a positive way.

People tended to think that their truth was "the'' truth, but the truth was always bigger than any one group.

"We're all shaped by our background, much more than we realise,'' he said.

He added he hoped to exchange letters with controversial student activist Mr.

Jhon Gibbons, who was arrested in connection with anonymous fliers attacking the Queen.

"I could understand the grounds from which his hostility comes,'' said the Archbishop.

"I've had a lot of contact with the black consciousness movement and you could see their influence coming back.'' Mr. Gibbons' argument, that black people had to unite or be manipulated by whites, was "simplistic but understandable'', particularly at his age.

"In our world we have to look at how we can help people from different backgrounds work together, rather than transferring power from one group to another.

"I would hope that some people here would help him reflect more deeply, but not get angry with him for being angry.'' Archbishop Scott said he also hoped for a wider understanding of homosexuality, now that knowledge was increasing.

"I think we have inherited a lot of attitudes that were shaped by a predominantly male-dominated society and a heterosexual-dominated society.''