The Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community was held at the Hilton Hotel, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 26 February 1991. The Heads of delegations in attendance were:
Rt. Hon. Erskine Sandiford, prime Minister of Barbados; Rt. Hon. Sir Lynden Pindling, Prime Minister of The Bahamas; Hon. George Price, Prime Minister of Belize; Hon. Mary Eugenia Charles, Prime Minister of Dominica; Hon. Francis Alexis, Attorney-General of Grenada; His Excellency Hugh Desmond Hoyte, Executive President of Guyana; Rt. Hon. Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica; Dr. the Rt. Hon. Kennedy Simmonds, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis; Rt. Hon. John Compton, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; Rt. Hon. James Mitchell, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Hon. A.N.R. Robinson, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Meeting was chaired by Rt. Hon. Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica.
Heads of Government expressed their profound regret at the sad loss of the son of the Hon. Chief Minister of Montserrat which prevent him from attending the Meeting.
Heads of Government held discussion on a wide range of issues. The content of these discussions is summarised in the following sections:
Report of the Review Team
Chaired by Professor Gladstone Mills, on CARICOM Programmes administered by the Secretariat, and on Regional Organisations of the Community.
Heads of Government reviewed the Report of the CARICOM, Review Team, under the Chairmanship of Professor Gladstone Mills, on the Programmes administered by the CARICOM Secretariat and on the Regional organisations of the Community. Attention was focussed on matters of major policy concern and general programme orientation and specifically in respect of the Review Team’s recommendations identified under four basic areas – Policy, Management, Programmes as administered by the Secretariat, and the orientation of regional organisations – they identified a number of issues for urgent attention and follow-up action.
They noted that a number of these recommendations for further action fell within the scope of work of the West Indian Commission and directed the Commission‘s Chairman to take these into account as the Commission proceeded with its work. These areas of concern included arrangements for ensuring a closer identification of The Bahamas and Belize with the Community through such measures as improved transportation; cultural communication and other linkages; the fostering of greater public awareness of the Regional Integration Movement; decision making within the Community; and the role of the Secretary-General and the Secretariat in translating decisions into the kinds of action expected by the Community’s citizens.
Other matters of concern identified for action related to the need for a thorough examination of the source of financing of the Community’s activities, including possible arrangements for obtaining an independent source of such financing for the Secretariat’s budget and for the operation of other regional institutions including the UWI. In this regard, they agreed that these issues should be examined at the level of officials and that special attention should be paid to ensuring the efficient and ordered collection of monies that would minimise the ongoing problem of Member States contribution being in arrears.
Heads of Government expressed once again their approval in principle of the Report and its recommendations and their deep appreciation of the tremendous effort of the CARICOM Review Team and for their profound and wide ranging examination of the issues of concern to the Community at large. They agreed that the Review Team’s report should be disseminated widely within the Community taken within that context.
Report on the status of the Proposal to establish a CARICOM Commissioner
Conference examined the modalities for the implementation of its and Council’s decisions. It recognised the urgent need for more effective mechanisms for expeditious implementation in order to advance the development of the Caribbean Community. It was advised that this was one of the priority issues being addressed by the West Indian Commission and agreed that further consideration of the appointment of a CARICOM Commissioner would be undertaken within that context.
Statement on the Gulf crisis
Heads of Government, recalling their condemnation of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait expressed at their Eleventh Meeting in Kingston in August 1990, and conscious of the vulnerability of small states to assault on their security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, welcomed the progress made to date in the liberation of Kuwait in accordance with United Nations Security Resolution 660.
Heads of Government expressed their strong hope that with the restoration of Kuwait’s sovereignty, peace would be restored in the Gulf Region as soon as possible, thus helping the wider world to enjoy the benefits of a peace dividend which should result from a less militaristic world.
Heads of Government expressed the particular hope that following a resolution of the Gulf crisis, the international community would turn its urgent attention with equal vigour to finding a peaceful and comprehensive solution to all the outstanding issues of peace and security in the Gulf area.
Convinced of the vital need of small states for the United Nations to safeguard the interests of all states, they regarded as critically important the emergence from this conflict of a strengthened United Nations acting to secure peace and stability in all regions of the world with consistent adherence to principle. Central to this process would be a genuinely international collective security system aimed in particular at protecting the integrity of small states. They looked forward to the United Nations establishing such a system as a matter of urgency.
Heads of Government regarded the establishment and strengthening of collective security arrangements among CARICOM States as a matter of relevant concern and looked forward to the advancement of action in the Community on the proposal for the creation of a system for mutual security support among CARICOM States.
Caricom Relations with the Rio Group
The Conference welcomed the report form the Prime Minister of Jamaica on an invitation to involve CARICOM more closely in the activities of the Rio Group. The Heads agreed to designate Jamaica as the representative of CARICOM to the Rio group and that a Committee comprising Jamaica, the Chairman of the OECS, Belize, and the Chairman of Conference (when different from Jamaica) assisted by the CARICOM Secretariat, would monitor matters concerning the Rio Group and keep all Member States of CARICOM continuously informed.
Enterprise for the Americas Initiative
Heads of Government examined the proposed Enterprise for the Americas Initiative as it relates to the Region. They welcomed the Initiative noting that the debt and investment components, in particular, could bring positive benefits to the Region. They observed that concluding a Trade and Investment Agreement with the United States of America could provide a framework for the removal for impediments to the flow of trade and investment between the parties. The Heads of Government emphasised the need to preserve the integrity of the Caribbean Community and Common Market and agreed that it was in their best interest to negotiate and sign such a Framework Agreement on a joint basis. In this context, they appointed a high level interlocutory team headed by Jamaica to initiate discussions with the United States of America and other relevant countries at the earliest opportunity. The work of this team will be supported by the multisectoral technical group which had been appointed by the Secretary-General of CARICOM in keeping with the decision at the Eleventh Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica.
Guyana’s EEC Sugar Quota
Heads of Government were apprised of the continued importance of the sugar industry to the Guyana economy. They noted that Guyana had fallen short of its EEC quota in the last two years and that a shortfall was also projected for 1990/91. They also noted the steps taken by Guyana to lay the foundation for the improvement of the industry in the context of its economic recovery programme so as to permit the fulfillment of its quota in the coming years. The programme for improving the industry was premised on the continued availability of the EEC quota. Heads of Government agreed to support in every way possible the efforts of Guyana to preserve its EEC quota.
Air Transportation – Briefing By Chairman of the Committee of Heads of Government or their Representatives
The Conference received a report from the Chairman of the Committee which it had established to examine options for the privatisation of BWIA and LIAT on a separate or on a joint basis. Conference determined that it would make a final decision at its next meeting and towards this end issued a number of guidelines to the Committee and mandated it to finalise its recommendations for the consideration of Member States.
Establishment of a CARICOM Security Regime
The Conference was informed that the Committee delegated to review the arrangements for a Regional Security Regime was scheduled to convene in Port-of-Spain on Saturday, March 2. A report of this meeting will be presented to the Twelfth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.
CARICOM Emergency Disaster Response Agency
An Inter-Governmental Agreement for the establishment of the CARICOM Disaster Response Agency was signed during the Meeting by six Member States. The Meeting also agreed that the head-quarters of the Agency would be located in Barbados and the Member States would give consideration to the budgetary requirements for the operation of the Agency.
CARICOM System of Regional Honours for Outstanding CARICOM Nationals
An Inter-Governmental Agreement for establishing a System of Regional Awards for Outstanding CARICOM Nationals was signed by six Member States during the Meeting. The Agreement would institute a regional honour to be known as the Order of the Caribbean Community.
Demitting of Office of the Secretary-General
Conference received formal notification of the demitting of the office of Secretary-General of CARICOM by Mr Roderick Rainford by September 1991 and established a Search Committee to be headed by the Chairman of the Common Market Council to identify a candidate to fill the position.
Statement on the Lifting of the EEC Ban on New Investment on South Africa – 26 February 1991
Heads of Government discussed recent events in South Africa, noting particularly the changes which have taken place since the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990 and culminating in the recent announcement by President De Klerk of his intention to seek the repeal of the main legislative pillars of Apartheid, the Land Acts, The Groups Areas Act and the Population Registration Acts.
The Heads also considered the international reaction to these events paying particular attention to the decision by the Foreign Ministers of the European Community to lift the ban on new investment in South Africa and the recent call for the lifting of the boycott on South Africa in respect of those sports which were integrated.
Also considered was the recent statement issued by Commonwealth Foreign Ministers on the South Africa Committee advocating that sanctions should remain in place until real and practical steps towards the eradication of Apartheid had been taken. This view had also been articulated by the ANC’s Deputy Leader, Nelson Mandela.
The heads of Government, while welcoming the steps taken by President DeKlerk, agreed that sanctions should be maintained until irreversible steps to end apartheid have been taken, and urged the international community to do likewise
Issued at the Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the CARICOM Community.
