The Legal Affairs Committee convened its Second Special Meeting in Georgetown, Guyana, from 2-5 June 1998 under the distinguished chairmanship of the Hon. Charles Ramson S.C.,M.P, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of Guyana.
The Legal Affairs Committee examined and endorsed Draft Protocols III, IV and V dealing respectively with Industrial Policy, Trade Policy and Agricultural Policy intended to amend the Treaty establishing the Caribbean Community and commended them for signature by the Conference of Heads of Government at their Nineteenth Meeting scheduled for Saint Lucia from 30 June to 4 July 1998.
The Meeting considered and refined the Agreement establishing the Caribbean Supreme Court and the Regulations of the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission. In this context the Committee determined that consonant with the emerging practice in regional integration movements, the title of the Court should be the “Caribbean Court of Justice“. The Legal Affairs Committee is expected to finalise the Agreement at its next ordinary Meeting scheduled for The Bahamas in September 1998.
The Attorneys-General and Ministers of Legal Affairs also discussed and determined issues related to jurisdiction of the Court, accession and ratification of the Agreement as well as the appointment and removal of judges. The Meeting agreed to commend the Draft Agreement establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice for the information and consideration of the Conference of Heads of Government.
The Legal Affairs Committee reviewed the developments in The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat and Trinidad and Tobago with regard to issues related to the death penalty. They affirmed that harmonisation in the approach to this matter should take place as far as practicable, but recognised that a uniform approach may not be possible.
The Meeting recommended the establishment of a Working Group by the Conference of Heads of Government and urged the prompt commencement of its work to define a common strategy in order to facilitate a harmonised approach to the death penalty.
This Meeting also noted the interim report concerning the Development of Legal Education and the Practice of Law in the Caribbean Community and discussed issues relating to the Regional Justice Protection Programme.
This Second Special Meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee was attended by the Attorneys-General and/or Ministers of Legal Affairs or their representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
