Conference on the Caribbean - discussing vital CARICOM US Partnership

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 – “The Caribbean diaspora can be tapped to play a vital role in the political and economic partnership between the Caribbean Community and the United States, and to help raise the profile of Caribbean concerns.” This was the shared view of both the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Jamaican Ambassador as they met to discuss vital CARICOM US partnership ahead of the “Conference on the Caribbean” currently underway in Washington.

Under the theme of “A 20/20 Vision,” the CARICOM heads of government and foreign ministers are this week meeting in Washington with their U.S. counterparts, from June 19 to 21.

Among other objectives, the Conference on the Caribbean seeks primarily to strengthen the CARICOM-U.S. Dialogue and convey Caribbean perspectives on regional growth and development to the year 2020.

Saint Lucia will be among Caribbean countries represented in Washington for the first ever Caribbean Conference. Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, External Affairs, Home Affairs, National Security, Labour, Information and Broadcasting, the Honourable Stephenson King is representing the country.

The main focus of the conference will be to discuss the state of relations between CARICOM

and the United States of America. It will take the form of a series of engagements aimed

at strengthening the relationship between the two sides. These engagements are expected

to deepen and broaden the dialogue between the Governments and people of the US and

the Governments and people of CARICOM and identify priority areas for the growth and

development of the Caribbean Community for the next 15 years.

.The encounters will involve:

(i) Government to government level meetings comprising:

(a) A CARICOM-US Summit at the White House:- the President of the

United States, George W. Bush and the Heads of State and Government of CARICOM are expected to discuss a number of matters of concern to both the US and CARICOM;

(b) A CARICOM-US Foreign Ministers Meeting - US Secretary of State

Condoleeza Rice and CARICOM Foreign Ministers will meet at the

State Department for discussions on matters of concern to both sides;

(c) Meetings with members of the United States Congress, specifically the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and the Sub-Committee on Western Hemisphere Affairs.

(ii) People to People encounters comprising:

(a) A Private Sector Forum

(b) An Experts Forum

These will involve international experts and leading policy makers from the public and private sectors.

(c) A Diaspora Forum - a meeting of the Caribbean Diaspora in the USA to examine mechanisms for harnessing their skills and resources for the benefit of the Region.

The Acting Prime Minister travels as the head of a delegation which includes the Honourable Guy Mayers, Minister for Trade, Industry and Commerce and Ambassador Anthony Severin, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

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