PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – “The commitment of CARICOM to Haiti runs deep.” This assurance was given to Haitian President His Excellency Rene Preval, the Government and people of Haiti by the Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Honourable Dr Denzil Douglas, during a one-day Prime Ministerial Mission to that CARICOM Member State, on Wednesday, October 18.
Dr. Douglas, the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, was leading a Prime Ministerial Mission to Haiti in fulfilment of a decision of the CARICOM Heads of Government taken at their Regular Meeting last July in St. Kitts and Nevis.
With Haiti now re-admitted to the Councils of CARICOM following the interruption brought about by the forced departure from office of President Preval’s predecessor, Dr Douglas said that the tasks now for CARICOM were how best to support Haiti’s development efforts and how to ensure its full integration into CARICOM.
The CARICOM Mission also included the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Dr, the Honourable Kenny Anthony, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Dominica, the Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, the Hon. Charles Savarin, and the Secretary-General of CARICOM, His Excellency Edwin Carrington accompanied by two staff members of the Secretariat.
The Mission was joined on arrival by CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, Ambassador Colin Granderson, who is in Haiti at the head of a Technical Team from CARICOM on a week long visit in response to the request by President Preval for CARICOM’s support in Haiti’s development efforts and in furtherance of its integration into the Caribbean Community. The report of the Team is expected to be available for CARICOM Heads of Government when they meet in Special Session in Port of Spain on 6-7 November.
President Preval, heading a large team, welcomed the CARICOM Mission on its arrival at Toussaint L’Ouverture Airport in Port-au-Prince, and along with Prime Minister the Hon Edouard Alexis and his cabinet, held discussions with the Mission at the Presidential Palace. Of particular concern to the President was the slow rate at which the resources pledged by the international donor community were actually being made available for use by his Government.
The President informed the Mission that the situation in Haiti had been improving daily and his government had been working hard at gaining access to the funds promised by the donor community. Prime Minister Skerrit assured the President that he and his colleague CARICOM leaders would press the international community to fulfill the commitments made, in a timely manner. Secretary-General Carrington said the institutions of the Community would contribute in any way they possibly could to assist.
The Haitian President told his CARICOM colleague Heads of Government that his country was looking forward to completing the process of Haiti’s full integration into CARICOM as quickly as possible, even as it pursued bi-lateral relations with various CARICOM countries. In that regard, he said he looked forward to the re-opening of the CARICOM Representational Office in Haiti, which was closed following the events of 2004, and to its working closely with its Haitian counterpart, the Bureau de Suivi. The importance of the two offices working closely together was also emphasized by the Haitian Prime Minister. Prime Minister Douglas confirmed that plans were afoot to reopen the CARICOM Office.
The Mission paid a call on the Haitian Parliament where there was an exchange of views with the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies led by their respective presidents.
President Preval and the Leaders of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies all expressed their appreciation of the principled position taken by CARICOM following the forced removal from office of his predecessor. Prime Minister Douglas, in acknowledging that appreciation, pointed out that CARICOM had nevertheless continued to work to support the development of the Haitian people during the period that the country was suspended from the Councils of the Community.
As regards the role of the Parliament, Prime Minister Anthony stressed the importance of the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society and the relevance of the Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians (ACCP) as avenues of co-operation within CARICOM.
Both Parliamentary leaders expressed a desire for closer links with their colleagues in CARICOM and extended an invitation for them to participate in the celebrations next year of the 200th Anniversary of the Haitian Parliament. This they saw as a first step towards strengthening relations with other Caribbean parliaments.
The Prime Ministerial team also held discussions with representatives of the Private Sector, and in those discussions Prime Minister Anthony also encouraged the business community, especially the artists and artisans, to look south for a market for their products. He said the latter were not making full use of the tourist trade in the Eastern Caribbean where thousands of visitors came throughout the year and which therefore could be a ready market for the high-quality craft supplied by the Haitians.
The business community representatives drew attention to certain difficulties which they encountered in seeking to develop trade with other CARICOM countries. Important among them were visa difficulties, as well as transportation and communication challenges. The Mission assured the business community that they would look at resolving the visa matter fairly quickly as they seek to encourage more trade and investment.
The Secretary-General urged the business community to seek to link with the private sector organizations in CARICOM, such as the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), and the recently formed Caribbean Business Council (CBC). His call was echoed by Dr Anthony who suggested that a team from the two organizations could come to Haiti and meet with the private sector.
During what Dr Douglas described as a refreshing and rewarding session, the business community also asked for more education on the operations of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
Members of the Mission pointed out that many of the issues raised by the private sector would be resolved once Haiti became a signatory to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas incorporating the CSME.
The private sector representatives noted that despite the relative calm pervading the country resulting in a projected economic growth as high as four percent in the coming year, more stability was needed if Haiti were to attract necessary foreign investment.
At a press conference at the airport prior to the departure of the Mission, Dr Douglas, in assessing the impressions gleaned during the visit, expressed his admiration for the process of governance being pursued since the installation of the new administration. This, he said, was exemplified by the manner in which the legislative and executive arms of government were working together, and the fact that the cabinet had been drawn from six political parties including those in opposition. He said the open, consultative and inclusive approach showed a strong desire by all the major stakeholders to work together to advance the cause of the people of Haiti.
It was a firm commitment to contributing to that objective in all possible ways that the Mission, in concluding its visit, expressed its appreciation to the President, the Government and the people of Haiti as CARICOM deepens its engagement with the Haitian people in their struggle for development and democracy.
