US ConsuI General Denis Coleman is set to quit his post in Bermuda at the end of the month.

Mr. Coleman revealed over the weekend that he requires shoulder surgery off the Island that will require a lengthy period of rehabilitation and that had led to his decision to resign his posting.

He returns from a trip abroad next week and will leave the Island ten days later, he said.

Mr. Coleman said he would be happy to meet with Premier Alex Scott about Bermuda?s dealings with Cuba.

A political row was sparked by his comments to VSB television that US-Bermuda relations were deteriorating because Government was ?fostering economic relations? with the Caribbean nation.

?I was asked a question by a TV reporter and I responded to it,? said Mr. Coleman.

He would not comment on Deputy Premier Ewart Brown?s suggestion that he take his worries to the Governor.

And asked if Bermuda was overreacting to his interview he said :?It?s very difficult to comment when you?re off-Island and not in a position when you have all the information. I will be willing to meet with the Premier.?

But he did speak to concerns expressed in the House of Assembly on Friday by the Opposition party that Bermuda would lose the US Customs pre-clearance facility at the airport.

But he did allay concerns expressed in the House of Assembly on Friday by the Opposition party that Bermuda would lose the US Customs pre-clearance facility at the airport, saying no such action was contemplated or expected.

?In no way did I imply any such action... There is no action contemplated,? he said.

?We have a disagreement. That doesn?t mean we?re not friends.?

He said his purpose was to express the position of the United States.

Mr. Coleman said that his pending shoulder surgery requires a lot of recovery time and he did not think it was appropriate for him to continue as US Consul General.

?It?s something my wife and I wished did not come too soon. In those two years it?s been a wonderful experience.?

He said meeting Bermudians would be the most memorable part of his experience here.