GEORGETOWN, Guyana, May 17th 2011 - Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Hon. Tillman Thomas, Prime of Grenada has reiterated the Community’s support for Haiti, as the French speaking Member State inaugurated its new president, His Excellency Michel Martelly, on Saturday.

Mr. Thomas, who led the CARICOM delegation to the 14 May inauguration, in encouraging Haiti to continue its drive to participate in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), welcomed the fact that the first consignment of goods from Haiti had recently arrived in Grenada under a temporary non-reciprocal preferential trade arrangement with the other Member States of CARICOM.

Prime Minister Thomas said the Community anticipated that Haiti’s integration into the CSME and its involvement in the wider Community will become even more meaningful under President Martelly’s presidency.

In the wake of President Martelly’s pledges in his inaugural address to rebuild and create a new image for Haiti, Mr. Thomas said that CARICOM will continue to advocate that the international community fulfils the pledges made towards reconstruction of the earthquake torn country. He said that CARICOM will also continue to support the building of institutional capacity in Haiti, which had been severely affected by the 12 January 2010 earthquake.

Saturday’s inauguration Ceremony was attended by the Chairman and members of the Bureau of Heads of Government of CARICOM, including the Hon. Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica and Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite, acting CARICOM Secretary-General. Her Excellency Jacinth Henry-Martin the Ambassador of St. Kitts and Nevis to Washington represented the other member of the Bureau the incoming Chairman of Conference, Honourable Dr Denzil Douglas. Also present was His Excellency Dési Bouterse, President of Suriname, who joins the Bureau as of 1 July 2011.

Ambassador Colin Granderson, Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations at the CARICOM Secretariat and Head of the CARICOM-OAS Joint Electoral Observer Mission (JEOM) in Haiti as well as Ambassador Earl Huntley, Director of the CARICOM Representational Office in Haiti (CROH) also attended the Ceremony. 

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