Patterson's 'democracy' call on CARICOM
--Haiti's seat vacant for summit's opening
By Rickey Singh
Guyana Chronicle
July 5, 2004
ST. George's - Haiti's seat in the Caribbean Community remained vacant last evening as Heads of Government of the regional economic integration movement held the ceremonial opening of their four-day 25th annual summit in this spice island.
With the Prime Ministers of Barbados (Owen Arthur) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Ralph Gonsalves) absent for the more than two-hour long ceremonial event at Grenada's Convention Centre, Jamaica's Prime Minister P.J. Patterson urged that established principles of good governance and democracy that have served the Community well, must not be sacrificed to new challenges and pressures.
In making this observation when alluding to the Haitian political crisis situation that has occupied CARICOM so intensely over the past eight months, Patterson called for greater, not less commitment, to "shared democratic values and mutual trust".
Specifically, he called on his Community colleagues to give serious consideration to elevating the CARICOM Charter for Civil Society to a document with legislative endorsement with binding legal obligations to further demonstrate commitment to constitutional governance and democratic norms.
Governance and crime and security are among major issues for the current summit, which will have its first plenary session this morning and with an expected caucus by the leaders on the status of the Community's relations with the post-Aristide interim regime in Port-au-Prince.
Recommendations from a meeting on Saturday of the Community's Council of Ministers have been forwarded for consideration of the Heads of Government.
According to conference sources, there was a "lively exchange" of differing views at the Council meeting on the issue between the Foreign Ministers of Jamaica (K.D. Knight) and Barbados (Dame Billie Miller).
The meeting had a briefing from the Foreign Minister of the interim Haitian regime, Yvon Simeon. But it was pointed out by an official of the Community Secretariat, that this was just an "informal meeting" and the question of seating the interim Haitian regime in the councils of CARICOM was still to be resolved.
While there were signals of a shift in favour of inviting Haiti to again participate in the business of CARICOM provided certain conditionalities are met by the interim Haitian regime, various leaders are holding out for "firm commitment" on established rules of constitutional governance and the rule of law.
`Current chairman of CARICOM and host of the 25th Summit, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell of Grenada, spoke strongly in favour of the Community's engagement with and assistance for Haiti.
Mitchell, who assumed the chairmanship from Antigua and Barbuda's new Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, also stressed the importance of the Community achieving set goals and not to keep postponing important decisions.
Prime Minister Spencer, who had earlier addressed the opening session, was loud in his praise for the Secretary General of the Community, Edwin Carrington and his staff for the "very outstanding" service they were rendering to the Community under severe restraints of working conditions and limited facilities over a number of years.
Restructuring of the functioning of the Secretariat, now to have new 'headquarter' facilities provided by Guyana, is one of the estimated 15-item agenda for the summit.