Prime Minister Owen Arthur has warned Barbadians not to take for granted the peace and co-operation that exists within the country and with its neighbours.

In a message to mark International Day of Peace, delivered on his behalf by Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Reverend Joseph Atherley, Arthur said it was not without great effort Barbados was now regarded as one of the most stable countries in the world.

"We need look no further than the United Nations Human Development Index for reasons why our country is among the few places where social status, ethnicity, cultural diversity and political rivalry are not abused to the point of escalating into violent confrontation," he said.

"Indeed, we conduct ourselves in a manner that harbours peace within our borders and harmony with our neighbours and the other nations, irrespective of whatever distance the accident of geography places between us.

"But our people must never make the mistake of becoming smug or complacent with what we have achieved. We should be ever vigilant to counteract negative signs whenever and wherever they arise, in particular those which have the potential to mislead our youth."

He said that internationally, "never before has the need for tranquillity within and among nations been so earnestly desired, so elusive and so much under indiscriminate threat".

That's why, he added, Government had decided to be "an active participant in the event, through the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports".

"I am heartened that, despite challenges which arise from the social and cultural changes that impact on our population, there is a mood of hope among many of the more than 500 peace ambassadors in the 13 secondary schools in Barbados participating in the observance of this event."

(RRM)