Carter opens latest Guyana visit
-- says `I’m glad to be back’
Guyana Chronicle
August 12, 2004
FORMER United States President Jimmy Carter opened his latest Guyana visit yesterday hoping to help make systems here more responsive to the needs of all Guyanese.
“I have a deep personal interest in Guyana and believe the basic integrity of its political, social, and economic systems must be made more responsive to the needs and aspirations of all Guyanese”, he said in an arrival statement released to the media.
“The purpose of my visit is to assess whether The Carter Center can make a further contribution to this need”, he said.
Carter was invited to visit by President Bharrat Jagdeo when he met the former U.S. President at his Atlanta-based Carter Center in June.
Carter opened his round of meetings with political and other leaders here by meeting Mr Jagdeo at the Office of the President.
“I’m glad to be back”, he told reporters as he headed into the talks with Mr Jagdeo.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) said the closed door meeting lasted more than an hour.
Carter is to meet Opposition Leader and Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Mr Robert Corbin, other representatives of political parties and members of civil society before leaving tomorrow afternoon.
The Nobel Peace prize winner played a central role in Guyana's return to free and fair elections at the October 5, 1992 polls, and the restoration of democracy here.
President Jagdeo announced last month that he had invited President Carter to Guyana to assess how the Carter Center could remain engaged in Guyana despite the closure of its office here.
Carter managed to broker key electoral reforms between the late President Desmond Hoyte and Opposition parties, which led to the October 5, 1992 elections, the first free and fair polls here in almost 30 years.
Before then, Mr Hoyte and his People's National Congress (PNC) had steadfastly resisted implementing changes in the electoral system that had long been characterised by widespread fraud and rigging.
The People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/Civic) won the October 5 elections, ending some 28 years in power by the PNC.
In an earlier statement, Carter noted that the Carter Center has been involved in Guyana for more than a decade.
"In that time, we have observed elections, supported the formulation of the country's National Development Strategy, and helped bolster the judicial system and strengthen citizens' organisations to make a greater contribution to public policy", he said.
Mr Jagdeo said he has asked that the Carter Center remain engaged in Guyana in the National Development Strategy and the run-up to the 2006 general elections.
"I also extended an invitation to Mr Carter to visit Guyana and do an assessment of the situation and not necessarily the current situation as it holds between the Government and the Opposition, the controversy, but generally about whether the Carter Center would remain engaged in those areas I mentioned before," he said.
Carter is accompanied by a six-member delegation - Jason Calder, Assistant Director, Global Development Initiative; David Carroll, Associate Director, Democracy Programme; Larry Frankel, Director, Peace Development; Julie Zollman, International Global Development Initiative, Brian Lewis, Representative, Guyana Field Officer; and Nancy Konigsmark, Mr. Carter's Scheduler.