Andrew Mitchell, British Minister for International Development.
The British government has told Montserrat that the United Kingdom will not give it the territory any more aid to help with reviving its volcano-battered economy.
The Montserrat government is grappling with a budget deficit and it has been unable to pay its civil servants on time.
The British government provides about 60% of the Montserrat Government's budget through budget aid.
However, on a short stop-over on the island on Thursday, Andrew Mitchell, British Minister for international development, rejected any suggestion of further budgetary support from Britain.
"We are very keen indeed that capacity issues should be addressed and these should come from within Montserrat where it can or from the Caribbean before going further a field … the ability for private sector investment in energy and infrastructure should be embraced.
The approach of the people of Montserrat should be to pull themselves up by their bootstraps (as) it would be the wrong approach to be like a new born bird waiting in the nest for the mother bird to bring nourishment," Mr. Mitchell said.
"We want to see a real partnership here, where Britain’s commitment is matched by an absolute rigorous focus in Montserrat by ensuring that we build up the economy so the country can stand on its own two feet," he added.
(Source: The BBC Caribbean Service)
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