Relations with Cuba look set to feature more prominently in Bermuda's future after Transport Minister Ewart Brown's most recent trip to the communist nation.

In an upbeat and wide-ranging report of his Ministry's activities, Dr. Brown said that during his Cuba visit, talks were held on the sale of three ferries, the transfer of old cars and the possibility of Bermuda becoming a hub for travel to Europe via Cuba's national airlines.

The Minister was accompanied to Cuba by his Permanent Secretary and the Director of Civil Aviation.

"We had a series of meetings in which we discussed the donation of buses which are of no further use to us in Bermuda but may serve some purpose to the people of that Island nation," he said.

"Similarly we discussed the sale of three ferries which currently serve the west end and which are to be replaced as part of phase two of the ferry project. For whatever reason in Bermuda we have a far more disposable attitude towards motor cars than our neighbours to the south. Accordingly, there was some significant interest in the use of our otherwise to be discarded cars for use in Cuba. Why should we selfishly hoard even what is in our view waste when not so far from our shores there is a need ? It was refreshing to see a nation that specialises in making lemonade out of lemons, something I fear has long since left our heritage in Bermuda."

Talks were also held on increasing charters between Bermuda and Cuba: "More interestingly, we discussed Bermuda as a hub for service to and from Europe via Cubana and other airlines serving the Island of Cuba.

"The prospect of Bermudians having access to the European gateways direct from home is an exciting one indeed."

Despite hard times plaguing the airline industry, Bermuda "continues to feature prominently in the plans of existing carriers and those of some proposed carriers seeking to spin out of this rut in which they find themselves".

He reported positive meetings with Spirit Airlines and Continental Airlines and said that negotiations with Jet Blue will continue next week.

And, he said, talks had taken place in Cayman, en route to Cuba, with that Island's Aviation Minister about the possibility of a "regional strategy in air travel".

The talks "could be the advent of a solution to the aggravating requirement of travelling north to go South".

He also announced the formation of a Ports Infrastructure Committee to look into revamping the Island's ports facilities and an extra ferry service from Dockyard to St. Georges and Hamilton.

And he said that bus and ferry tickets will be sold by merchants all across the Island and buses will begin to service the Hamilton Ferry terminal this month.

He ended his speech with a swipe at the Opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP), saying that party could no longer use "scaremongering" tactics during their election campaigning.

"The voting public need look no further than our respective records in the area of Transport," he said. "The old UBP specialised in the status quo, they engendered a culture that frowned on creativity, innovation and initiative. The hallmark of their tenure was 'you better not tinker with that, the sky may fall on your head.'

"Well, Mr. Speaker, we took a broke model, we inherited a stagnant atmosphere of reactionary policies, we were heirs to a Bermuda they said only they could run."

But Government had proven the Opposition wrong with a series of accomplishments in Transport, he said.