Vision for regional airline to come up at urgent Caricom meet
Stabroek News
February 16, 2007
A transportation policy and the vision for a regional airline are expected to be the major focus of an urgent special meeting of the Caricom Council on Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Air and Mari-time Transportation.
The mandate for this meeting on regional transportation issues has come out of the 18th Inter-Sessional meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM which met this week in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The conference also agreed that Bermuda should be invited to participate in the Special Meeting, a communiqué issued at the end of the inter-sessional meeting stated.
According to the communiqué, the conference arrived at that position after receiving reports from the shareholder governments on the long-term strategic plans of their national carriers and the implications of those plans for the region.
The conference noted the statement by Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago that Caribbean Airlines is now free of all encumbrances and is required to operate on a commercial basis. The conference also recognized the on-going restructuring exercise involving LIAT (1974) Ltd and Caribbean Star Airlines which is aimed at concluding a merger of the carriers before the end of the third quarter this year. It was also noted that the merged entity would operate on a commercial basis.
The communiqué stated also that the conference urged the shareholder governments of Caribbean Airlines, LIAT, Air Jamaica and Bahamas Air to encourage their respective airlines to pursue commercial alliances among themselves.
The conference also called for the participation of the regional private sector in the elaboration of the maritime transport policy. It noted, too, the conclusion of a recent study on the transportation of agricultural and other products within the Community and the call for the introduction of a fast ferry inter-island service to address the transportation of passengers and cargo.
Meanwhile, President of Suriname Ronald Venetiaan and CARICOM Secretary-General Edwin Carrington signed the agreement between Suriname and the Caribbean Community establishing the Seat and the Offices of the Competition Commission of CARICOM in Suriname on Tuesday.
The protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the Competition Commission was signed by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago on Monday and by Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves on Wednesday.
The protocol to the Treaty on Security Assistance on the Establishment of the CARICOM Operations, Planning and Coordinating Staff (COPACS) was signed by Antigua and Barbuda, Bar-bados, Dominica, Gre-nada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.
According to the communiqué, the conference adopted a paper entitled "Towards a Single Economy and a Single Development Vision", as the framework for the further elaboration of the single economy, with the understanding that refinements will have to be done regarding the poverty alleviation dimension in time for the final sign off at the regular meeting of the conference in July this year. It was agreed also that the "Single Vision" would be used as the basis for a comprehensive development plan.
Furthermore, the conference agreed to amend the membership of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on the CSME to include Prime Ministers with responsibility for the various productive sectors. It was also agreed that the requisite steps would be taken to designate the Business Council as an associate institution of the community.
Dealing with the CARICOM Development Fund, the conference agreed that donors' contributions would be welcomed, but member states would be required to honour their own contribution commitments in a timely manner so the fund would be in operation in July.
And with respect to the Regional Development Agency which is required to attract investment, assist industries to become efficient and competitive, promote structural diversification and infrastructure development, the conference mandated the implementation task force to evaluate the possible framework options for the institution and make appropriate recommendations for consideration by the conference at its 28th regular meeting in July in Barbados.
Energy
Consideration was given to the draft CARICOM Energy Policy prepared by the Task Force on Energy and presented by the Lead Head of Government for Energy Matters, Prime Minister Manning.
The draft Energy Policy addressed a range of issues including security of supply; development and diversification of energy sources and market; renewable energy; electricity sector; energy conservation and efficiency and energy investment. It also addressed intra-community trade in energy; energy and the environment; enhancement of human and institutional capacity; and energy and poverty alleviation.
Meantime, the conference recommended that the draft CARICOM Energy Policy be considered at a special COTED meeting of Ministers responsible for Energy before further consideration at the 28th regular meeting of the conference to be held in July in Barbados.
Security
The conference has recognised security as the fourth pillar of the Community, given its ever-increasing importance and its cross-cutting and fundamental nature. The conference, the communiqué noted, also agreed that steps should be taken to formalise this decision in the context of a revision of the Revised Treaty.
On the issue of health, the conference recalled that the report of the Caribbean Commission on Health and Development (CCHD), presented to the 27th regular meeting of the conference in July 2006, highlighted the increasing levels of morbidity and mortality arising from the chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and also the severe economic burden which these diseases were placing on member states.
The conference acknowledged the necessity of considering the problem in detail and arriving at public health policies to address the issues. In this context, it agreed to the convening of a regional summit on the NCDs which would be preceded by national consultations.
There was agreement also that the aims of the summit would be to establish and agree on a regional approach to the prevention and control of NCDs and, in this regard, to evaluate the Caribbean situation within the global context.
Haiti
The conference received a report from Prime Minister of Haiti Gerard Latortue with respect to the situation in that member state.
The government of Haiti expressed its appreciation for the position adopted by the Caribbean Community during the transition period in that country and for the welcome received on its return to the Councils of the Community.
The programme of cooperation agreed between Haiti and the CARICOM Multi-Disciplinary Technical Mission will facilitate Haiti's functioning within the Community. For its part, the Government of Haiti has established and made operational a unit within the Office of the Prime Minister which will facilitate this interface. It also reiterated its intention to facilitate the re-opening of the CARICOM Representation Office in Haiti which will help the country to overcome the accumulated delays.
The communiqué stated further that the Heads of Government, reaffirming the view that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was a crime against humanity, recalled the call in the Durban Declaration for the provision of effective remedies and redress from those countries that had perpetuated this crime. In this regard, they requested the universities in the region to conduct research to support this case. Moreover, they noted that despite the social, political and economic degradation wrought by slavery, the descendants of the slaves have made significant contributions to the Caribbean and internationally.
Noting that March 25 would be the beginning of the 200th Anniversary year of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the Heads of Government agreed that each member state would adopt a programme of activities to commemorate this event as agreed in the United Nations Resolution which was co-sponsored by the Caribbean.
They also supported proposals for a regional programme of activities including the observation of a minute of silence in each member state at 12 noon Eastern Caribbean time on March 25 in honour of those who died as a result of slavery, especially in the middle passage and in resistance to slavery.
Guyana/Venezuela
According to the communiqué, the conference expressed satisfaction that goodwill and friendship continued to characterise relations between Guyana and Venezuela and noted the commitment of the two states to the United Nations Good Offices process aimed at finding a solution to the controversy that arose from the Venezuelan contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899 is null and void.
In this connection, the conference noted with regret, the passing of Ambassador Oliver Jackman who was the Personal Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the Good Officer Process. They noted the positive contribution made by Ambassador Jackman to that process.
The conference reaffirmed its unwavering support for the preservation of Guyana's territorial integrity and sovereignty and its right to the development of its resources in the entirety of its territory.
In addition, the conference was updated on the negotiations and the ongoing process in respect of the Guatemalan claim to the territory of Belize.
The conference was informed of the current state of the negotiations, in which Honduras is also involved, aimed at agreeing on the maritime delimitation between their respective territories.