former Premier Sir John Swan charged this week.

He pointed out the UK signed the agreement to lease Bermudian land to the US for use as bases in 1941 so it is that country's responsibility.

Sir John says UK responsible for baselands By Henry Adderley Chief Reporter "The agreement was struck between America and Britain,'' stressed Sir John.

And the Americans are not the ones Bermuda should be pressuring into cleaning up the properties, he stressed.

"We should not be running off to the Americans when it is the British who were responsible for our external affairs at that time,'' he said. "Britain signed the agreement. Bermuda had no say in the process.

"What we should say to Britain is `you get on now with your responsibility of cleaning up the bases since you took it out of our hands'.

"That way we have the advantage of not beating up on the hand that feeds us.

"Britain must be the ones to get America to do it or do it themselves.'' He stressed Government had to rebut Whitehall comments which were clouding the issue of who was responsible for the base clean-up process.

"I believe Government needs to put the issue squarely in the hands of the British government who signed the agreement with the US,'' Sir John said.

"Once that issue has been defined, I think we will see whole different attitudes coming from the British and things will become far less clouded.

"It is up to Britain to assume the responsibility of cleaning up the bases.

That is the right place to turn to.'' No caption