Retired United States Army General Colin Powell's assistance to Bermuda in its bid to become an international business centre was marked this week during his whirlwind trip to the Island.

Gen. Powell, who spent some 30 years in the US military and rose to the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before retiring, arrived in Bermuda Monday morning, addressed Bermuda's top business people during a luncheon and flew out that afternoon.

At the luncheon, his close friend and former Premier Sir John Swan, presented the General with a cartoon drawn by local artist Peter Woolcock that depicts the lion from Bermuda's coat of arms thanking him "for not dropping the ball''.

The cartoon refers to the assistance the General gave the Island while he was serving as President Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor in the late '80s.

Bermuda, through Sir John, was attempting to get the US-Bermuda Tax Treaty, which would have provided the Island with similar tax advantages that Barbados had received shortly before, through Congress.

The Island had lost tax advantages during the Carter administration and it was important for the new treaty to be passed if the Island was going to be able to compete in the international business arena.

President Reagan was sympathetic toward the concept of Bermuda having a new tax treaty and Gen. Powell worked very closely with Sir John in an advisory process and in helping steer it through Congress when it was almost blocked.

Gen. Powell's speech on the Challenges of a Changing World touched on how the world had changed since the end of the Cold War and with the introduction of the Information Age.

These events had removed barriers between countries and created a global environment for businesses to operate in, he noted.

They had also made it imperative that the world's children not be left behind through lack of education, adult mentors and health, said the General.

Since leaving the military, Gen. Powell has become more active in the community and is now the Chairman of America's Promise -- The Alliance for Youth which seeks to ensure children are not left behind.

His new cause is symbolised in Mr. Woolcock's cartoon by the little red wagon at his feet which is a symbol for the group.

Gen. Powell's character was praised by XL Capital President and CEO Brian O'Hara yesterday.

"General Colin Powell is probably the single most impressive person I have met in real life. I admire him so much. He has enormous talent, a great heart, a sense of humour and humanity.

"He is so many things at the same time. It is amazing for one person to possess all those attributes and have such great humility. It is a rare combination.'' ACE Chairman and CEO Brian Duperreault added: "He is certainly an inspiring man to see and listen to. It was a privilege to be in the same room as him.'' Mr. O'Hara also recognised Gen. Powell's desire to help young people succeed.

"He has foregone great wealth and power -- he could have been President of the United States -- and chose to put his energy into ensuring that no child is left behind. That speaks for itself.

"He is a younger, male Mother Theresa with a hard-nosed, practical sense.'' Mr. Duperreault added: "His message was about developing children and not wasting our most precious resource and that is a great message.'' And on the General's contribution to the passage of the US-Bermuda Tax Treaty through the US Congress, Mr. O'Hara called him "a great friend of Bermuda''.

He added that the General's personal relationship with Sir John played a key role in getting the treaty done at a time when there were a myriad of politics in place in Washington DC and a lot of hostility toward the treaty in Congress.

"But, as Sir John said yesterday,'' noted Mr. O'Hara, "Colin Powell is the kind of guy who can get things done.''