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4th Meeting of the Central Florida/Caribbean Committee Hosted in Saint Lucia
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4th Meeting of the Central Florida/Caribbean Committee Hosted in Saint Lucia
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Contact: Dana Augustin Monday, October 30, 2000 - On more than one occasion, the Caribbean has endeavoured to build a strong relationship with Central Florida in the United States of America, as a means of seeking investment opportunities for the islands. These efforts have led to the establishment of what is appropriately called the ‘Central Florida Caribbean Partnership for Development Committee.’ On Friday, October 27, 2000 that committee held its fourth meeting at the Royal Saint Lucian Hotel, chaired by Governor General Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy. The feature address at the opening of the meeting was delivered by Honourable Mario Michel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Human Resource Development, Youth & Sports who felt that this was an ideal opportunity for such deliberations to take place. "We hope that given the centrality of Florida to the Presidential elections in the United States that Central Florida can play a role in causing the decision makers in the US to approach the Caribbean with more sensitivity and understanding rather than sacrificing it at the alter of globalization and trade liberalization," he noted. The island’s Deputy Prime Minister was concerned over the level of support being given to the Caribbean from its United States partners and called for their continued cooperation into the economic well being of Small Island Developing States. He said, "It is important that the special vulnerability of Small Island Developing States like ours in the Caribbean are factored into the international discourse on globalization and trade liberalization and that our traditional friends do not forget us and neglect us because of the perceived irrelevance of political ideology, which now appears to have been the motivating force behind the special attention which once we received from the United States of America." Friday’s meeting saw a number of presentations and discussions concerning issues of trade, commerce, tourism and security, science and technology, health and education. In attendance were Saint Lucia’s Ambassador to the United States of America and to the OAS, Her Excellency Mrs. Sonia Johnny, Speaker of the House of Assembly Matthew Roberts, officials from Central Florida, members of the committee from the other Caribbean islands and the media. |
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