CARIBBEAN Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government are to meet in an emergency session in The Bahamas next week to discuss the impact on the region of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Secretary-General, Mr. Edwin Carrington announced yesterday.

Current CARICOM Chairman, The Bahamas Prime Minister, Mr. Hubert Ingraham will host the emergency session on October 11-12 in Nassau, the CARICOM Secretariat here said in a release.

It said the heads are expected to focus on the economic fallout, particularly in the tourism, aviation and financial sectors.

They will also consider the security measures which CARICOM member states must implement "given the overall security considerations with which the region must grapple, in the changed global environment following the events" of September 11, the secretariat said.

Measures to address the economic dislocation already being experienced by CARICOM states since the acts of terrorism, as well as to safeguard their security and protect and preserve their economic lifeline, are other areas the leaders are expected to examine.

The release noted that the deliberations will benefit from the report of a meeting of officials due on October 8-9, in which representatives of the regional tourism organisations, the airline industry, labour and private sector, as well as a number of regional organisations are expected to participate.

Representatives of regional security organisations are also expected to contribute to the deliberations of the CARICOM Heads.

A forum headed by Ministers of Foreign Affairs and involving Ministers with responsibility for Aviation, Tourism and Security will be convened on October 10 to make recommendations to the meeting of the Heads of Government, taking into account the report of the meeting of officials, the secretariat said.