Premier Alex Scott yesterday refuted suggestions that he may have entered a foreign policy no-go area by backing the Caribbean Community?s position on Haiti.

The Premier said he had not committed Bermuda to anything during the two day meet in St. Kitts.

?I think I made my best speech ever ? I said absolutely nothing,? he joked.

But Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons said he suspected that Mr. Scott had overstepped his bounds and, worse, probably irritated the United States.

In a lengthy press conference in which he reported on his attendance at Caricom?s Heads of Government meeting, Mr. Scott said Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos, both Associate Members of Caricom, had been extended courtesies afforded to full members of the regional grouping.

He ended his report, which drew heavily on Caricom?s own report of the proceedings, by reading the Heads of Government?s statement on the situation in Haiti.

The United States declined to intervene to support former President Jean Bertrand Aristide, now in exile, when he faced a rebel onslaught last month.

Besides calling on the international community to provide humanitarian and other assistance to the beleaguered country, the Caricom statement said the democratic process had been interrupted in that country, and called for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Aristide?s departure from office.

And he stressed that there should be no confusion that Bermuda was only an Associate Member of the regional grouping despite being allowed to attend meetings of Heads of State.

?We do not carry the weight of commitment that a Member would carry.

?But we did have the courtesy and respect shown to us of allowing us to be at the table and to be able to speak.?

Mr. Scott said he agreed with the Haiti statement, and would be surprised at criticism of a position supporting the democratic process.

Britain attached conditions to Bermuda upgrading its membership from observer to Associate Member of Caricom, Government House confirmed yesterday.

?The UK agreed that Bermuda could enhance its membership status from observership to associate membership,? according to the Government House statement.

?The conditions attached were that the representative of the Government of Bermuda abstains on any issue under discussion in Caricom that has a direct bearing on external relations, defence or security. And that they should disassociate themselves from any statement made by the organisation on any such matters.?

Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons said he was more concerned at the impact of Bermuda associating itself with the Haiti statement on US-Bermuda relations.

?My own sense is that his comments on Haiti will be another irritation to the US Government, because it appears that Caricom has been somewhat critical of the role the US Government, I guess France as well, played in facilitating Mr. Aristide?s departure,? Dr. Gibbons said.

?My sense is that we don?t really have a connection with Haiti. I think Mr. Scott will have to deal with the British Government in terms of what he can and cannot deal with in foreign affairs. I suspect he?s probably overstepped his bounds on it.

?But probably what?s more important is this is yet another area where comments have been made by members of Bermuda?s Government which will irritate the United States and cause further friction with the US-Bermuda relationship.?