Premier Ewart Brown last night refused to say whether he would meet his promise to begin construction work on a new hotel at Club Med before the end of 2007.

However, Works and Engineering Minister Dennis Lister defended the Premier's pledge — made at a public meeting six months ago — by holding a press conference to show "pre-work" was currently taking place at the derelict St. George's site.

Carl Bazarian, of investment firm Bazarian International, is expected to rubber stamp the deal for a five-star St. Regis hotel in about one week.

That would leave around two weeks to fulfil Tourism Minister Dr. Brown's pledge to Progressive Labour Party supporters at a meeting in St. David's in May: "I appreciate and understand your pessimism, but let me tell you I made a commitment: in 2007, construction work will begin on the new hotel in St. George's. I can promise you it will be delivered."

Mr. Lister said the Premier had been talking in "general terms" and that work needed to be done in order for construction to begin.

Asked for a comment from Dr. Brown on whether the promise would be kept, and when construction would start, his Press Secretary Glenn Jones replied: "Nothing new to add."

Asked why yesterday's press conference had been called at Club Med, Mr. Lister said: "We want to update the public on what has transpired. The Premier had made the commitment work would start before the year ended. Mr. Bazarian is committed to the project. Work has actually started."

Mr. Lister pointed to workmen who were gutting and removing asbestos from dormitories and explained a clubhouse and swimming pool had already been demolished.

Asked whether construction would begin in 2007 as Dr. Brown had promised, he replied: "It's demolition first. When he said construction, he was saying in general terms. Part of that construction is pre-work. We have to begin pre-work so we can see development."

At a PLP meeting in Southampton on Wednesday, the Premier announced Mr. Bazarian would be on the Island within a week and a half to confirm a St. Regis hotel would be built at Club Med.

Asked whether it was right for a caretaker Government to be pressing ahead with such a project shortly before a General Election, Mr. Lister said: "This commitment is ongoing for years. The Club Med facility has sat here empty through our ten years, but previously to our Government as well.

"The Premier's comment was made many months ago. What's different this time is what you see here. In all the years past, when developers came no movement was made as you see here now. Physical work is being done."

St. George's residents have been calling for Club Med to be transformed since it closed in 1988 but, although a string of developers have been lined up, each proposal has fallen by the wayside.

Asked what he would say to residents who view the succession of recent annoucements over Club Med as an electioneering ploy, Mr. Lister said: "It's just the sequence of where we are with Mr. Bazarian."