Antigua and Barbuda plans to resume talks with the United States over a proposal to receive deportees who are neither Antiguan nor Barbudan, Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders said, as Caribbean leaders gather in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

Sanders said any agreement must respect the country’s laws, international obligations and national interest. He drew a distinction between accepting the return of Antigua and Barbuda’s own citizens and taking in people deported from the United States who have no ties to the country.

“The organized reception of deportees who are not its nationals is quite another,” Sanders said, warning that a standing arrangement could place an unbearable burden on small countries.

The New York Amsterdam News reported that talks had stalled over a U.S. proposal for Antigua and Barbuda to receive 12 third-country deportees a month. It also reported that officials believe U.S. visa measures are linked to the country’s refusal. That connection remains an allegation; the report did not establish that the visa measures were imposed in response to the deportee talks.

Other Caribbean governments have reached arrangements with Washington. According to the report, St. Lucia has received six people and agreed to accept up to 10 every three months. Jamaica has finalized procedures allowing a maximum of 25 people every two weeks.

Sanders did not say when the renewed Antigua and Barbuda talks would begin or whether they would take place during the U.N. meetings.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: U.S. deportee deal likely to dominate discussions on sidelines of UN sessions.