The Opposition yesterday urged the UK not to punish Bermuda for Premier Ewart Brown's Guantánamo Four actions by rescinding a 40-year-old agreement.

The British Government is reviewing the general entrustment agreement it has had with the Island since 1968 in light of Dr. Brown cutting the UK out and negotiating directly with the US to bring four former prisoners from Guantánamo Bay here.

The entrustment deal allows Bermuda's leaders to negotiate with other countries on certain matters without asking for permission from Britain on every occasion.

But British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said this week that because of the secrecy with which the Uighur Muslims were brought here, the agreement must be reconsidered.

UBP leader Kim Swan said the review meant Dr. Brown's "unilateral actions" threatened to undo an arrangement that had enabled all of Bermuda's premiers to speak with foreign leaders on matters of mutual interest.

"The general entrustment, as it exists today, was patiently grown by these premiers," said Mr. Swan. "It became a working symbol of Bermuda's senior status with the government of the United Kingdom and a mechanism that helped us take our place as a responsible member of the international community.

"It is an essential tool of modern Bermuda. Intrinsic to the exercise of the general entrustment is the trust the United Kingdom has in Bermuda to negotiate arrangements that ultimately require its signature.

"Bermuda's premiers over the years built up that trust to the point that Bermuda was given the widest possible latitude to conduct its own external relations."

Mr. Swan said the agreement allowed former Premier Sir John Swan to negotiate directly with the US on the tax treaty that helped international business become the first pillar of Bermuda's economy.

It also enabled the Island, he said, to put in place tax information exchange agreements that graduated Bermuda from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's grey list to its white list.

The Opposition leader said: "Dr. Brown's unilateral diplomacy — acting outside his lawful authority — has clearly broken the bond of trust that was built over decades by men and women of integrity. The general entrustment may become a victim of his renegade actions and that would be a great shame.

"While we recognise the problem the British Government may have with Premier Brown's go-it-alone leadership, we would urge them to tailor any decision on the general entrustment to his tenure in office and to continue its trust in the Bermudian community and its other leaders."