Antigua and Barbuda has rejected a U.S. proposal to accept seven third-country nationals each month, countering with a maximum of seven every three months as negotiations over the controversial arrangement continue.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne disclosed the revised position Saturday on the Browne and Browne Show on Pointe FM, saying it emerged from the latest round of negotiations with Washington.

“We heard from the U.S. just over a week ago the proposal we take seven persons per month, and we said to them that it’s too much and we’ll take seven per quarter,” Browne said.

That would place the proposed maximum at 28 people annually, although Browne stressed that negotiations are continuing.

The prime minister said Antigua and Barbuda has written back to the United States with its counterproposal and additional safeguards governing who could be transferred to the country.

Browne said the government is seeking an agreement that protects Antigua and Barbuda’s interests while maintaining cooperation with Washington.

“We’re cooperating, but we see this as a situation in which we’re trying to get the best deal for Antigua in the circumstances,” he said.

Browne said the proposal will now go back to the U.S. government for consideration.

He also pledged that any final agreement reached with Washington would be taken to Parliament and made available for public scrutiny.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua and Barbuda Proposes Seven U.S. Deportees Per Quarter Instead of Seven Monthly.