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Contact:
Michelle
Serieux
Tuesday, July 06, 2004 - Residents of St Lucia were among the first to
listen to RADIO CARICOM, when it hit the airwaves on July 4, 2004. Joined by
listeners in Barbados, Belize and Grenada, citizens of these four islands were
the first to benefit from this new service provided to members of the Caribbean
Community.
Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith C. Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada and Chairman of
CARICOM explained at the Opening Ceremony of the Twenty-Fifth Meeting of the
Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, held in Grand Anse, Grenada, on
4 July 2004, that Radio CARICOM was a service that would ensure that Caribbean
nationals are kept more abreast of developments within the Caribbean Community.
Prime Minister Mitchell explained that although at this stage Radio CARICOM
served only four islands, the service would soon be expanded to all Member
States.
The Technological and Scientific advancement of the Region was also a primary
concern at this 25th meeting of CARICOM. Prime Minister Mitchell stated that the
Region should actively pursue the development of alternative energy sources and
cooperate on issues relating to these sources.
“Seismic studies have shown, without a doubt, that we have tremendous oil and
natural gas reserves in our waters…in our attempt to utilise this untapped
resource, we must all work speedily towards settling boundary delimitation
agreements among our respective countries.”
As CARICOM Head responsible for Science and Technology, Mr Mitchell expressed
the need to strengthen the capacity of the Caribbean Renewable Energy
Development Project so that it could focus on utilising the potentials of Solar
and Wind Energy. He also called for the establishment of the Common Fisheries
Regime, which he said would impact on the sustainability of marine resources not
only with respect to fisheries, but also in relation to energy supplies for the
Region.
His Excellency Edwin W. Carrington, Secretary - General of CARICOM was very
concerned about HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact on Caribbean social life. At
the Summit in Grenada, Mr Carrington stated that decisive and sustained regional
action was absolutely necessary to successfully deal with the growing problem of
AIDS and its debilitating effect on the economic growth of member states.
The CARICOM Secretary General declared that it was time for CARICOM to
accelerate the Region’s own Integration process. He referred to recent elections
held in Europe, and commented on the fact that the Europeans were able to
enhance their own integration process and agree on the naming of a New
Commission president, Prime Minister Jose Durao Barroso of Portugal. Mr
Carrington exhorted the timely implementation of decisions already taken by
CARICOM, including the inauguration of the Caribbean Court of Justice and the
introduction of the Caribbean Community Passport.
Haiti was still foremost in the mind of The Most Honourable P.J. Patterson of
Jamaica, when he addressed the CARICOM Summit He informed his colleagues that
CARICOM was actively advocating Haiti’s case for substantial financial resources
from the World Bank, the Inter - American Development Bank, the European Union,
and that CARICOM was even considering Haiti’s participation in the Caribbean
Development Bank.
With preparations for Elections already underway in Haiti, the Community Council
of Ministers had its Second Special Meeting on July 3, 2004, to review an update
on Haiti provided by the CARICOM Secretariat. At this meeting, chaired by the
Hon. Elvin Nimrod, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of
Grenada, the Community Council also received an update from Jean-Yvon Simeon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Interim Administration in Haiti. Mr Simeon
responded to questions posed by the Council Ministers on a number of political,
economic and social issues, as well as on matters of security, human rights and
the state of the Judiciary.
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