A BRITISH study on what can be done with Bermuda's hazardous asbestos waste is expected to start before the end of the year, Premier Alex Scott said yesterday.

Premier Scott's announcement came as he briefed the media on the outcome of his trip last week to the British Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth and his meeting with new Overseas Territories Minister Bill Rammell, which he described as "an unqualified success".

And he hit back at a editorial that he said implied that disagreements between himself and Mr. Rammell had been behind delays in them issuing a joint statement.

Though the UK has made it clear it will not pay for the disposal of the asbestos, Mr. Scott remains hopeful that his talks with Mr. Rammell could result in some funding to solve the expensive problem.

Much of the tons of asbestos waste stored in dozens of containers kept on St. David's Island were the product of the former US military bases here.

But in the termination of the 1941 US Bases Agreement, signed by the Government last June after being negotiated by the US and the UK, there was no provision made to deal with the asbestos or to fund the clean-up of the former baselands.

"I believe that the Americans and the UK are morally responsible for the clean-up," Premier Scott said yesterday. "But little can be gained from standing around arguing about it.

"I think we have confirmed details of the study to be done. And this is an issue that needs to be put behind us."

He added that the possibility of Commonwealth funding for a clean-up remained.

At the time of the baselands agreement termination last year, Opposition leader Dr. Grant Gibbons predicted the deal would go down in history as "the most expensive mistake Bermuda has ever made" and that cleaning up the environmental damage left by the US military would cost more than $50 million.

Premier Scott said: "Mr. Rammell and I discussed the problematic question of Bermuda's asbestos disposal. To this end, the Minister did agree to look into other sources of funding.

"The Minister also advised me that the UK's study into the options for disposing of Bermuda's asbestos would go out to tender shortly and work is expected to get under way within the next two months."

Premier Scott also answered comments from Dr. Gibbons, made in this newspaper last week, suggesting that the taxpayer would not get value for money from his and Tourism Minister Ren?e Webb's trip to the political conference.

"I am aware that not everybody in Bermuda agrees that the Government should be represented at the Labour Party Conference or that they fully understand why it is important for us to attend," he said.

"I understand that reservation, but I wish to assure the public that if I had any doubt whatsoever about the importance of our attending, I had these reservations wiped away by the unqualified success of this recent mission."

Meeting Mr. Rammell at the Bermuda stand at the conference had made his later meeting with the Minister at the Foreign Office easier, he said.

Mr. Rammell had assured him that the UK's intention to exercise greater control over their overseas territories "did not extend to Bermuda".

The Premier disputed Wednesday's editorial that he said had implied that a delay in issuing a joint media statement was caused by disagreements between the two.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," Mr. Scott said. "The reality is that I met with Mr. Rammell on Thursday afternoon and our officials agreed on a draft release later that day.

"I saw the statement the same evening and with very minor changes only, returned it to the Foreign Office the following morning.

"The statement was finalised and placed in Mr. Rammell's box by noon on Friday so that he could study it during a weekend visit to his constituency.

"Soon after his return to the Foreign Office on Monday morning, the joint statement was released. I hope this clarifies the matter and puts to bed any suggestions that there were deep divisions between Mr. Rammell and me. That is certainly not true."

He said some of the British politicians he met, including Baroness Amos and Paul Boateng, had "greatly respected" his predecessor Jennifer Smith and had been surprsied at her demise at the hands of her own party.

"I wanted to be clear that I was not the individual who had held the long knife," said Premier Scott.