Efforts towards a Jagdeo/Hoyte meeting ongoing
Efforts are still being made to convene a meeting between President Bharrat Jagdeo and PNC leader, Desmond Hoyte, according to Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon. He told reporters to whom he spoke on Thursday at his fortnightly briefing at the GTV studios, that many Guyanese felt that a constructive Jagdeo/Hoyte engagement could strengthen the maintenance of social peace. "Guyanese on the whole have become rather enamoured of the relative peace and tranquility that have characterised their lives over the last couple of months. They are deeply interested in having such a situation continue uninterruptedly and most feel that a Jagdeo/Hoyte constructive engagement would certainly promote and would strengthen the maintenance of social peace." The Cabinet Secretary said that he "was aware of the contributions being made by civil society and even the regional bodies to seek to promote such a meeting. "We are all doing what possibly can be done and I am certain that we should all be thankful for the efforts that have been made by the various others who are involved in seeking to have this meeting consummated." Dr Luncheon said that he was unaware of any exchange of letters between Mr Jagdeo and Hoyte beyond that which had been disclosed in October. In that exchange, Hoyte had indicated some concern about the capacity in which President Jagdeo would be meeting him and sought to have him do a number of things as an indication of the good faith in which the meeting would take place. Release to the public of the report of the Commission of Enquiry into the Mon Repos sea defence breach, which had been set up by former president, Dr Cheddi Jagan and condemnation of the tactics employed by GUYSUCO in removing squatters from its lands at Goedverwagting were among some of the things Hoyte felt that Mr Jagdeo should do. Asked whether a Jagdeo/Hoyte meeting was possible before the end of the year, Dr Luncheon said that while he was unaware of Hoyte's itinerary, President Jagdeo had a packed schedule of visits outside Georgetown in addition to his commitments outside Guyana. However, the HPS said that a Jagdeo/Hoyte meeting "would be of such immense importance that both parties would hardly fail to adjust their diaries and their programmes."
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