Manning
heads to Caricom summit with ‘Warrior pride’
By
Gail
Alexander
The
Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworld.com
07 02 06
When
Prime Minister Patrick Manning holds forth tomorrow
at the start of the annual Caricom summit, he’ll
probably do so with pride as head of the smallest
nation to participate in the World Cup and one which
put on a courageous performance there.
Jamaican
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller who makes her
Caricom summit debut at this week’s conference,
would recall that her country, which participated
in the 1998 World Cup in France, had not been the
smallest to do so.
Manning,
outgoing Caricom chairman, and Jamaica’s Simpson
Miller are among guest speakers at tomorrow’s
opening ceremony of the 27th annual summit of regional
leaders.
Venue
this year is St Kitts’ Marriott resort.
Manning
who returned from a Washington trip on Friday evening,
leaves this afternoon for the conference.
Public
Administration Minister Dr Lenny Saith will act
as Prime Minister in his absence.
It’s
been a particularly hectic fortnight for Manning
who wrapped up his Caricom chairmanship by visiting
several Caricom states, attending a Single Market
symposium in Barbados on Wednesday and undertaking
a two-day trip to Washington.
In
DC, he met with US government authorities in his
capacity as Caricom head, and also for bilateral
talks.
Manning
will report to Caricom on the outcome of the US
talks, when he addresses summit leaders.
Other
speeches at tomorrow’s opening will be from
incoming Caricom chairman, St Kitts/Nevis Prime
Minister Dr Denzil Douglas and summit “guest”
of honour, Haitian Prime Minister Rene Preval.
Caricom
Secretary General Dr Edwin Carrington and Vincentian
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves (Organisation
of Eastern Caribbean States chairman) also will
speak.
This
year has seen the regional grouping taking strides
in two areas of long-standing concern—the
launch of the Caricom Single Market and Economy
in January and the return of Haiti to the Caribbean
community.
The
latter particularly, after delays in the last few
years following the departure from office of former
President Jean Bertrand Aristide and Haiti’s
uneasy political situation.
Haiti’s
re-entry into Caricom, one of the contentious issues
of last year’s summit, will now be one of
the highlights of tomorrow’s opening ceremony.
Haitian
Prime Minister Preval, has requested that a Caricom
team go to Haiti immediately after this week’s
summit to provide support for Haiti’s resumption
of its participation in Caricom.
Last
year, the summit agenda debate was dominated by
Venezuela’s controversial PetroCaribe initiative,
which T&T and Barbados opposed—against
13 member states—and which caused tensions
at the 2005 conference.
The
issue remained one of concern to the region up to
January when PM Manning again warned of negative
impacts for Caricom states—apart from T&T’s
own oil industry—from the Venezuelan initiative.
While
T&T’s position against the plan remains
firm (according to Energy Minister Lenny Saith up
to yesterday) Caricom Secretary General Carrington
in December said regional states may have made a
mistake in committing to the PetroCaribe deal before
discussing it.
Apart
from that, top of this week’s deliberations
are likely to be crime and security, Caricom’s
Single Market and Economy and free movement of nationals
and Haiti. (SEE BOX).
Prime
Minister Manning is expected to present a report
on security .
Leaders
will also share updates on their respective preparations
for World Cup Cricket 2007.
SUMMIT
AGENDA
T&T
will submit a proposal at this week’s Caricom
summit on shared diplomatic representation in selected
countries, Government has confirmed.
The
idea had been spoken about several times during
the term by Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift
who had said T&T wanted to share diplomatic
missions with other Caricom states in various capitals.
Other
summit agenda items:
*
Caricom Single Market and Economy
*
Crime, security, terrorism related aspects
*
The role of energy in regional economies
*
Update on preparations for World Cup cricket 2007.
*
Haiti—recent developments and arrangements
for effective participation in Caricom.
*
Migration
*
Human trafficking
*
The changing geo-politics
*
Regional human resources
*
Free movement of Caricom nationals.
*
HIV/Aids and health.
The Trinidad Guardian
Sunday 2nd July, 2006
Copyright
©2006 The Trinidad Guardian. All Rights Reserved.
