CARICOM Secretary General, Mr Edwin Carrington, met with CARICOM Chairman, Dominican Prime Minister, Honourable Pierre Charles, in the Cabinet Room in Roseau, Dominica earlier today. The Dominican Leader holds the chairmanship of the fifteen-member grouping for the next six months.
The next intercessional meeting of the Community is tentatively set for Trinidad and Tobago, from February 14-15, 2003. According to the Secretary General, a number of critical areas are expected to explored in detail at that meeting. These include:
· The revival of the Regional Economy. There will be further discussion on the framework for stabilising and transforming Caribbean Economies. Also progress on the implementation of the Regional Stabilization Fund will be looked at.
· Progress on the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. Progress being made on the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice will be revisited.
· Results on external negotiations with specific reference to the FTAA, EU-ACP and WTO.
· The Community at 30. Members will discuss areas of achievement as well as critically assess ways of moving forward
Prime Minister Pierre Charles told the Secretary General that he would do all in his power to make a success of his chairmanship of CARICOM.
Mr Edwin Carrington told the Dominican Leader that the CARICOM Secretariat is committed to working with him and his team of officials over the next six months.
Prime Minister Charles will undergo an extremely punishing schedule over the next six months. Apart from being CARICOM Chairman, the Dominican Leader is also part of the Bureau Of Heads, is a member of the Cabinet sub-committee on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy and will attend the CARICOM Finance Ministers meeting (COFAP) prior to the intercessional.
Mr Carrington also met Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Honourable Osborne Riviere, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Irwin Laroque, Cabinet Secretary, Mr Julian N Johnson and Director General in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Mr Swinburne Lestrade.
Sean R Douglas
Government Press Secretary
6 January 2003
