HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon said Thursday he remains optimistic about the Security Sector Reform Programme (SSRP) agreed with the United Kingdom.

He reminded his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing, in Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, that the Guyana Government has presented its version of a design for the joint SSRP.

“I should go even further, by saying that the Government design was heavily influenced by bilaterals between the Government of Guyana, the UK and the (British) Department for International Development (DFID) functionaries here in Guyana,” Luncheon said.

He said his understanding is that the Guyana Government version, its design is being studied by the competent authorities in the UK and “we are going to be notified whether the British or the DFID officials have satisfied themselves with their own concerns and allow us to re-engage on the next steps.”

Luncheon stated: “I said, before, I am really optimistic…essentially because our version, our design, as I said, arose in face to face engagements with the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the DFID functionaries here in Guyana and we, in our design, have not sought to introduce exceptional or new things.”

Continuing, he added: “I see no reason not to continue to be optimistic about penning the agreement soon and to have the Security Sector Reform Programme initiated in Guyana.”

The undertaking, which is being funded by the UK, for G$1 billion, stirred some concern when declarations of frustration were made by the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Fraser Wheeler and Luncheon, Guyana’s representative in the discussions with the UK, subsequently offered to withdraw from the project.

Luncheon had intimated, in two letters, one to the media and the other to President Bharrat Jagdeo, his intention to disengage from the talks, citing his displeasure with two documents provided him by the British Government, earlier this year, on the way forward with the SSRP.

However, Luncheon had told reporters that the Head of State, while sharing his feelings of outrage at the British position, declined his request to be removed as Guyana’s main negotiator.

And while the Guyana Government held firm to its position, the British, through a High Commission press statement, said they remained committed to Guyana’s national ownership of the SSRP and to build the capacity of its national institutions to implement it.