THE UK--CARICOM PARTNERSHIP
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
March 7, 2004
FINALLY, THE Caribbean Community-United Kingdom Forum is emerging as a mechanism by which practical forms of cooperation can be pursued, especially in demanding areas like crime and security.
Latest indication of this emerged last week in Kingston, Jamaica, where an agreement was signed between the UK and CARICOM at the conclusion of the Community's Ministerial Sub-Committee for Resource Mobilisation for Crime and Security.
What had initially started a few years ago as a consultative process involving ministers and technocrats when Robin Cooke was Britain's Foreign Minister, has been incrementally evolving as the alternative to summit meetings between CARICOM and Canada, CARICOM and the USA.
As a direct result of the increasing interest that Prime Minister Tony Blair has been showing in improved relations with the CARICOM region, he initiated a working breakfast session with Community Heads of Government in London last December, prior to the opening of the Commonwealth Summit in Abuja, Nigeria.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, who had earlier in the year met with President George Bush, along with four other CARICOM leaders for a working breakfast ahead of the new session of the United Nations General Assembly, was among the Community's heads of government who participated in the ideas-sharing meeting with Prime Minister Blair.
Kingston Agreement
Last week's meeting in Kingston of the CARICOM Sub-Committee on Resource Mobilisation on Crime and Security that culminated in the signing of an aid package with the UK's representative, Bill Rammell, Undersecretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was a direct outcome of the working breakfast between the British and Caribbean leaders.
The agreement provides for a plan of action, involving border security, maritime cooperation, training of security and law enforcement officials and the establishment of a regional information and intelligence-sharing network.
Accordingly, the UK has committed itself to "identify substantial funding" to support projects such as development of a regional framework for command and leadership training for all security and law enforcement sectors within CARICOM.
The study for this particular project should be completed by early as next month with a view to implementation of the training programme from October this year.
The overall regional security strategy to be pursued, with the assistance of the British Government, is expected to be finalised in time for the UK-CARICOM Forum at summit level, scheduled for May this year.
It is to be hoped that it will mark a significant development in a new partnership approach to enhance the capabilities of this region in dealing with challenging crime and security matters that are also of practical value to the UK's own battle against such crimes as narco-trafficking and money laundering.