Members of Parliament,
Excellency, Dean of the CARICOM High Commissioners,
Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am very pleased to be here representing CARICOM at this celebration of the 28th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community and the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States – the OECS.
I want to express appreciation to the CARICOM High Commissioners here in Ottawa and, in particular his Excellency George Bullen, for having me here. But more than that, I wish to say how happy I am to participate in this celebration. It is a great source of inspiration and motivation to those of us who live and work within the CARICOM region to experience the great spirit of Community and regionalism that resides within the Caribbean Communities in the diaspora.
I am therefore pleased to say a few words on recent developments in CARICOM. I will speak particularly on developments in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, the Caribbean Court of Justice, International Trade negotiations and developments in Haiti.
REVISION OF THE TREATY –
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SINGLE MARKET AND ECONOMY
CARICOM states, of which the OECS states comprise an important sub-region, includes some of the smallest and most vulnerable states in the world, and the integration processes enshrined in the Treaties which we celebrate today represent the conviction of these states that the viability of our future is founded in large measure on the strength of those bonds which keep us together. So strong is this conviction that during the last several years, the Caribbean Community has been engaged in a fundamental re-design of our integration process to broaden its scope and deepen our relations.
As many of you know, nine Protocols revising the Treaty of Chaguaramas were signed over the period 1997-2000 radically changing the nature of the Community. The treaty revision process is nearing completion and it is hoped that a revised treaty, integrating and augmenting the nine Protocols already signed, will be ready for signature at the upcoming Conference of Heads of Government to be held in The Bahamas on 3-6 July 2001.
The most radical change resulting from the treaty revision process is the elevation of our economic integration platform from the Common Market to the Single Market and Economy. The essential characteristic of the Single Market and Economy is the free, unrestricted movement of capital and labour and provision of rights of establishment of business of CARICOM nationals anywhere in the Community. This will be achieved through the removal of restrictions to free movement that remain in our national laws and administrative policies and practices. As these restrictions are removed, the Single Market and Economy becomes a reality.
The technical work identifying the scope and details of restrictions in place has been completed, and a programme for the removal of these restrictions is expected to be agreed and to commence by the end of the this year.
CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE
The agreement to establish the Caribbean Court of Justice was signed by most Member States at the Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in February of this year. The Court will be headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago and that Member State has identified accommodation to facilitate early establishment of the Court as well as location for the construction of the permanent headquarters of the Court. The Court, however, will be itinerant, moving across the Community and holding sessions wherever required. Therefore in its establishment much attention is being paid to issues of information and communication technologies, and the establishment of networks across the Community.
The Caribbean Court of Justice will have two separate and distinct jurisdictions. First, and critical for the operations of the Single Market and Economy, the Caribbean Court of Justice will be the Court of Original Jurisdiction in the Interpretation of the Treaty Establishing the Caribbean Community. The Treaty, as revised, has given the Court the supreme juridical role in disputes settlement in the Single Market and Economy and it will provide a common system and process for enforcement of contracts.
Fundamentally, therefore, the Court of Justice is a foundation institution of the Single Market and is critical for its smooth operations, and by extension, for the promotion of economic stability in the Region.
In its second role, the Caribbean Court of Justice will be the court of final appeal replacing the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Entrenching this role will require, in most Member States constitutional amendments and in some States, constitutional amendments must be put to referenda. But across the Community, save for some pockets of vocal resistance, there is strong support for the early establishment of the Court. Many see the Caribbean Court of Justice necessary not only to provide greater equity of access to the Court of Final Appeal, but also as a necessary step to complete the process of self-determination and independence begun in the 1960’s.
TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
In the last few years the Region has been in a process of negotiations at the bilateral, hemispheric and multilateral levels to promote and protect the trade interests of its Member States. These negotiations are about to enter into a more complex phase, simultaneously across the several negotiating fronts.
HEMISPHERIC AND INTERNATIONAL
At the hemispheric level, the process for the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) should be completed by the end of 2004. CARICOM Member States, along with African and Pacific Members of the ACP, are expected to begin to negotiate new Economic Partnership Agreements with Europe beginning September 2002.
In the case of negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in addition to the negotiations on Agriculture and Services which began in 2000, the Region has to face the prospects of a possible launch of a new round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations when WTO trade Ministers meet in Doha, Qatar. The Region is not yet convinced of the merit of a new Round in the light of the issues that still need to be addressed with respect to the implementation of the Agreements under the Uruguay Round.
In all these negotiations, the Region is aware that the economies of Member States are very small compared with those of many other Parties with whom it interfaces in this hemisphere and in the WTO. The negotiating stance has therefore been guided by the need to ensure that the trade negotiations make special arrangements to accommodate the needs and requirements of small States.
REGIONAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
CARICOM-Dominican Republic
At the regional level, following the signature of the Agreement Establishing the Free Trade Area between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Dominican Republic on 22 August 1998 and the signature of the Protocol Implementing the Agreement in April of last year, the process of bringing the Agreement into force has continued. The Dominican Republic completed ratification on 28 February 2001 and CARICOM Member States are working to complete their internal procedures by the end of July 2001.
CARICOM-Cuba
The Community signed, on 5 July 2000, a Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement with Cuba and on 15 June 2001 – just last week – implementation of this agreement took a very substantial step forward with the signature of the implementing Protocols. The two sides are now engaged in putting in place arrangements to enable the Agreement, of which the Protocols are in integral part, to enter in force in July of this year.
Both the CARICOM-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement and the CARICOM-Cuba Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement will contribute to stronger commercial ties between the economic operators in the respective participating countries. The agreements take account of the asymmetrics of CARICOM Member States and could serve as important examples for the relations CARICOM countries are pursuing in the hemisphere (FTAA) and in the multilateral fora of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
HAITI AND THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY
As many of you know, Haiti is on the verge of becoming a full member of the Caribbean Community. Since 1997, when the decision to admit Haiti was taken, Haiti has been participating in Community activities as a member, but the final step remains to be taken – that is: the depositing, by Haiti, of its instrument of accession to the Treaty of Chaguramas. Our relations with Haiti and our engagement with Haiti in its ongoing political crisis, therefore, have special relevance.
The Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers which took place in Jamaica last week discussed the political crisis in Haiti and welcomed the commitments given by the President of Haiti in his letter to the OAS General Assembly Meeting in Costa Rica two weeks ago. These commitments are considered to be critical steps towards the resolution of the post-May 2000 electoral difficulties.
In a statement issued from the Meeting of the Community Council, the Ministers supported the call made by the OAS for the Government of Haiti, the political parties and civil society and other relevant institutions of Haiti to commit themselves to creating a climate of confidence conducive to broad-based agreement, with a view to resolving the political crisis and strengthening democracy in Haiti. The Ministers look forward to the establishment and installation of the new Provisional Electoral Council by 25 June 2001.
The Ministers also expressed the hope that Haiti will be able to take up its position as a full Member of the Community once a new Parliament has been elected within the framework and time-frame set out in President Aristide’s letter to the OAS General Assembly.
Ministers, Members of Parliament, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen: I hope I have provided more than a taste of the recent developments in some of the more critical issues engaging the attention of the Community. There are other important issues, but these are the critical ones. They go to the core of the Region’s internal development as well as its relations with the rest of the world. Each of these issues will be discussed by the Conference of Heads of Government Meeting when it meets in The Bahamas on 3-6 July 2001.
As I conclude, let me once again express my appreciation for the interest and support of the Community of Caribbean nationals and friends here in Ottawa. The support which comes from the Caribbean diaspora here and elsewhere is important to the development of CARICOM and the strengthening of the integration process.
Happy OECS Day and Happy CARICOM Day to all.
Thank you very much.
