Stability in Haiti and Global Market Indicators discussed at OAS and IDB meetings in Washington
WASHINGTON, DC – Stability in Haiti was among topics discussed during a courtesy call by Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham on Secretary General of the Organisation of American States Jose Miguel Insulza at OAS Headquarters in Washington last week.
The Prime Minister visited Washington D.C Wednesday, March 19 to Friday, March 21.
During Mr. Ingraham’s courtesy call on Mr. Insulza, the two discussed efforts of the Secretary General and of the Permanent Council of the OAS to prepare ground work for the recently convened 25th Consultation of Foreign Ministers called to mediate tension between Colombia and Ecuador.
The efforts of the Permanent Council were headed by Bahamas Permanent Representative to the OAS, His Excellency C.A. Smith, who currently sits as Chairman of the Organization’s Permanent Council. In that capacity, Ambassador Smith led an Ambassadorial mission to Ecuador and Colombia on March 8-12.
Mr. Ingraham also took the opportunity to discuss with the Secretary General efforts of the OAS to support endeavours to strengthen democracy and bring economic stability to Haiti.
On the morning of March 20, Prime Minister Ingraham attended a breakfast meeting at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) hosted Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno. The breakfast was also attended by Prime Minister David Thompson of Barbados and Prime Minister Dean Barrow of Belize, and provided the Prime Ministers the opportunity to meet with the Bank’s Executive Directors.
President Moreno arranged for the Prime Ministers to be briefed by IDB staff on the instability in global financial markets and the weakened U.S dollar, as well as other problems associated with the mortgage crisis, the resulting weakened home market in the United States and the implications of these developments for investment in the Caribbean.
The Prime Ministers were also briefed on new initiatives in the IDB which would include the provision of technical assistance to member countries not necessarily tied to bank loans.
Following the breakfast the Prime Ministers and their delegations held bilateral meetings with President Moreno during which country programs were discussed.
Prime Minister Ingraham was briefed on the status of The Bahamas’ request to expand its infrastructure project – New Providence Road Programme. He also reviewed with the Bank the Bahamas’ interest in exploring access to IDB technical assistance in a number of areas not necessarily tied to loans (e.g. disaster preparedness and response, climate change response and land and town planning.)
Following his meeting with U.S President George Bush on Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Ingraham was interviewed by Bloomberg Television, where he discussed the impact of the global financial problem on the Bahamian economy.
While in Washington, Mr. Ingraham also met briefly with the President of the Ritz Carlton; owner and operator of the Abaco Club at Winding Bay and developer of the Rose Island project on Paradise Island, and dined with principals of the Urgo Group, who are pursuing a major resort development in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera.
