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Contact:
Virnet St.Omer-Fontenelle
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 – Preparations are well under way for St. Lucia
to host the 26th CARICOM Heads of Government Summit in July. St. Lucia’s
Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Mr. Anthony Severin is
overseeing the preparations for the hosting of
the Conference from July 3rd to 6th. The July meeting will be chaired by Prime
Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony.
St. Lucia will assume the Chairmanship of the regional grouping, when the summit
opens at the Sandals Grande Resort & Spa at Pigeon Point on Sunday, July 3rd.
The summit, will bring together the Heads of Government of all Member-States and
Associate Member-states of CARICOM to address key issues of regional concern,
ranging from the continuing movement towards the CARICOM Single Market and
Economy (CSME) and regional approach to fight crime, to discuss the outcomes of
recent meetings with international agencies and preparations for forthcoming
summits.
The first day of the meeting will see leaders discussing, among other
items, recommendations from the Report of the Prime Ministerial Expert Group on
Governance. They will also hear updates on the progress towards the CSME by the
lead Prime Minister on such matters, Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados.
The discussions on Crime and Security – and particularly issues and
recommendations from the recent meeting of Ministers of National Security in
Trinidad & Tobago in May, will be led by Prime Minister Patrick Manning of
Trinidad & Tobago.
The issues arising out of the meetings of the CARICOM Bureau of Ministers, the
35th meeting of the OAS General Assembly Foreign Ministers with U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleeza Rice in Florida will be discussed when heads meet in July.
The other agenda items for the summit include preparations for and priority
issues relating to the forthcoming meetings such as the 4th Summit of the
Association of Caribbean States (ACS) to take place in Panama in July, the 4th
Summit of the Americas to be held in Argentina in November, the CARICOM-Cuba
Summit in December and the 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly,
at which matters such
as UN Reform and the Millennium Development Goals will be among top agenda
items.
On the fringes of the summit, the Heads of Government will hold discussions with
special guests, including President of the Dominican Republic Dr Leonel
Fernandez, outgoing President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Enrique Iglesia and a representative of the Secretary General of the
Commonwealth Don Mc Kinnon.
A new feature at this upcoming meeting will be issues arising from the
first-ever meeting between the Heads of Government of CARICOM and the Leaders of
the Parliamentary Opposition from the Members-States and Associated
Member-States. The meeting is carded for July 2nd ahead of the meeting of Heads
of Government. Ambassador Severin says the upcoming 26th CARICOM Summit: “is an
event that concerns not only the Government of St. Lucia but the entire nation
and we have set out to make all the necessary arrangements for a successful
meeting and a fruitful stay on the island for the scores of regional and
international guests expected for the summit and its fringe meetings.”
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