GREATER GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) the Honourable Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago referred to the completion of the CARICOM Single Market process and the imminent finalisation of arrangements for the regional Development Fund as two issues of which he felt most proud of his tenure as Chairman.
Speaking in Paramaribo, Suriname on Wednesday 14 June at a press conference in the Presidential Palace following a meeting with the President of Suriname, His Excellency Runaldo Venetiaan, Prime Minister Manning said he was satisfied that the integration movement was strong and would intensify with completion of the Single Economy phase of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
He was earlier accorded a military guard of honor during a red carpet welcome ceremony at Johan Adolph Pengel International Airport, Zanderij, Suriname when he arrived accompanied by CARICOM Secretary-General His Excellency Edwin Carrington on the second stop of his mission to four Member States.
The Prime Minister had earlier that day visited Guyana where he met with the President, His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo and had also met with the staff of the CARICOM Secretariat at the Secretariat’s Headquarters at Turkeyen, on the outskirts of Georgetown at which venue he held a press conference.
The Mission continues on Friday 15 June with visits to Belize and Jamaica as the Chairman, who demits office on 30 June to be replaced by the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr Denzil Douglas, seeks to bring his colleague Heads of Government up to date on the initiatives he pursued during his term.
At the meeting with President Venetiaan, the two leaders discussed the agenda for the upcoming 27th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, the CSME and the key role of the private sector in that process, energy issues, security and crime in the Region and the incidence of flooding in Suriname.
Describing Suriname as ‘a valued member of the Community’, the Chairman said he looked forward to the President’s presentation on CARIFESTA IX, which is one of the items on the agenda for the Heads of Government Meeting. The President of Suriname is the Head of Government with lead responsibility for Community Development and Cultural Cooperation (including Culture, Gender, Youth and Sport). CARIFESTA IX is scheduled for 22 September- 1 October 2006 in Trinidad and Tobago.
Mr. Manning took the opportunity on both legs of his mission to emphasize that the Community was entering a phase that required deeper integration which was the only way to ensure that the benefits of the CSME would be equitably distributed.
