The two sides also pledged to continue dialogue on a raft of issues including security, trade and the vexed problem of deportees and United States Assistant Secretary of State, Thomas Shannon has been delegated to put in place the mechanisms to continue the discussion with CARICOM.

 

At a press conference at the headquarters of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington D.C. on Wednesday evening, CARICOM Chairman, Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves said that at the meeting held earlier in the day between President Bush and the CARICOM Leaders at Capitol Hill, that Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon.Patrick Manning covered issues of security, including energy; while Prime Minister of Barbados, the Right Hon. Owen Arthur raised trade issues, economic growth and development; and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas plugged education and health including HIV/AIDS and social development.

 

This, he said, was in keeping with what had been originally agreed to. Other leaders made interventions including Guyana’s President, His Excellency, Bharrat Jagdeo, who in response to Bush’ concerns about Caribbean countries' relations with Cuba and Venezuela, said that relationships with those countries were based on national interests.

 

Earlier in the day in a brief media encounter with Manning in the corridors of the World Bank, he told Stabroek News of Guyana that Bush expressed a "little surprise" that Cuba was the only country in the western hemisphere without a tradition of democracy and a number of Caribbean countries were not raising their voices against this. ~~Adz:Right~~

 

President Jagdeo said he indicated that Cuba and Venezuela do not need the region to defend them. He said that CARICOM countries enjoy a mature relationship with them in the same way that the US enjoys relationships with some countries such as Saudi Arabia, which is not known as a democracy, because of its own national interests in terms of energy security.

 

He said that the national considerations include matters of education and eradicating poverty and in those sectors Cuba was helping Guyana and the region to meet those considerations. Apart from Cuban doctors working in the local health system, Jagdeo noted that Cuba has offered scholarships to train a number of medical students and if Guyana had to send those same students to the US it would cost the Guyana government some US$70 million annually.

 

He said that if Cuba were to withdraw its medical assistance programme to Haiti the health sector would collapse.Speaking rhetorically, he said: "Is there any similar help from the USA and the developed world? No."Noting the huge sums going towards the purchase of fuel, Jagdeo said that Guyana’s signing on to the Venezuelan Petrocaribe Initiative will save the country US$45 million a year because of the concessionary terms under which it would be administered. The savings he said would help to address Guyana's balance of payments.

 

On any special requests, Prime Minister Gonsalves noted that while the leaders made no specific request for financial aid for any development purpose he said that he asked for the US to give some consideration to the issue of disaster management mitigation in the Caribbean. He pointed out that Canada has committed US$20 million in this regard, noting the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters.

 

He noted, too, that in terms of economic integration, Prime Minister Arthur in his presentation said that China had joined with the CARICOM Regional Development Fund and suggested that the US could also support the fund which is attempting to develop the economies of all the CARICOM countries through the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.

On the issue of assistance on HIV/AIDS in particular, Prime Minister Douglas noted that while the US is providing assistance to Guyana and Haiti through PEPFAR he suggested that other Caricom countries benefit from this arrangement.

 

In raising the issue of security, Prime Minister Manning said that a number of concrete commitments were made but none in terms of money since the CARICOM leaders did not ask. Manning did not elaborate on the security matters discussed but said that Bush was concerned about security issues central to Haiti, drug trafficking, and the fight against terrorism.

 

On the issue of trade, Prime Minister Arthur noted that the Caribbean leaders secured a commitment from Bush to not only renew the CBI initiative, but to update the trade agreements and to update and expand them since as presently constituted they do not include some Caribbean countries.

 

In addition the CBI recovery act has expired since 2005 because of a lack of support from Uruguay at the level of the World Trade Organisation. "The Caribbean is still in limbo in relation to trade agreements with the US, and was limited to trade in goods, whereas the Caribbean was also strong in services," he noted. Arthur noted, too, the need for special and differential treatment for the small developing economies in multilateral trading arrangements and to broaden the scope of trade through economic partnership agreements. Bush he said accepted the point.

 

The Miami Herald on Wednesday reported that Bush is likely to have a tough time winning support for an enhanced CBI in congress. Below is the joint statement released by the two sides at the end of the Caribbean-United States Summit:

 

1. We, the Heads of State and Government of the United States of America and of the Caribbean Community Nations of Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, meeting in Washington D.C. on June 20, 2007, reaffirm our unequivocal commitment to a secure and prosperous region and future for the benefit of all of our citizens.

 

2. Recalling our shared history of democracy, respect for human rights, social justice, and cultural and ethnic diversity, we highlight the value of our enduring friendship and recommit ourselves to enhancing our partnership to reinforce the development aspirations that guide our mutual priorities.

 

3. We pledge to continue promoting the consolidation of democratic norms, values, and institutions throughout the hemisphere and to enhance accountability and respect for individual rights.

 

4. We agree to take steps to expand economic opportunities for our people, to address the threats of terrorism and crime, and to provide the benefits of democracy to all members of our societies, recognizing that democracy will best flourish if our societies are stable and our economies are prosperous.

 

5. We recognize the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy as a critical element of the growth and development strategy of the Caribbean Community.

 

6. We are determined to strengthen our existing trade arrangements. We acknowledge President Bush's announcement to work with Congress to extend and update the Caribbean Basin Trade Promotion Act and the 1991 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. We further commit to the harmonization of customs procedures consistent with global standards and the advancement of technical trade cooperation.

 

7. We reiterate our support for Caribbean efforts to expand the services sector, and encourage a focus on the international financial services sector to facilitate a competitive means of economic diversification while remaining committed to the maintenance of appropriate regulatory and supervisory practices, consistent with the highest international standards.

 

8. Cognizant of the spread of HIV and AIDS and the impact on the economic and social development of our people, we pledge to deepen our cooperation in health and welcome the initiative to continue PEPFAR in the Caribbean.

 

9. Cognizant that more than 95 percent of CARICOM's energy needs are derived from fossil fuels, we pledge to increase cooperation in this area to achieve sustainable, secure, and affordable access to energy for all our citizens.

 

10. We agree to increase cooperation efforts in the field of education and workplace training. We commit to strengthen teacher training by expanding the Caribbean Centers for Excellence. We also commit to strengthen human capacity in the Carib-bean to meet the demands of a 21st century employment environment through partnering with academic institutions and non-governmental groups as well as through skills training for youth via the Entra-21 program.

 

11. We declare our intention to negotiate an agreement on cooperation in Science and Technology including Information Communication Technologies.

 

12. We recommit to our ongoing efforts of cooperation in the area of disaster preparedness, mitigation, and recovery.

 

13. We acknowledge the multidimensional nature of the security threats and challenges faced by our countries and pledge to continue to work together in the fight against terrorism, trafficking in persons, drugs and small arms, and transnational crime.

 

14. We also acknowledge the successful security partnership developed to secure the CARICOM Region during its hosting of the Cricket World Cup 2007. To this end, we agree to continue strengthening the Region's security infrastructure.

 

15. We recognize the need to work more closely on immigration security issues in a manner respectful of national laws and government services capacity and sensitive to the effects of human displacement. We will jointly work toward the expansion of the pilot reintegration program for deportees in Haiti to include other CARICOM member states. We will develop new ways to facilitate, coordinate, and communicate between our immigration services.

 

16. We are heartened by the substantial progress in Haiti made by the Government of President Preval, with the support of international partners.

 

We recognize that Haiti will continue to require substantial regional and international support in the implementation of a consistent and long-term strategy of institution and capacity building, and pledge to work together with the three branches of the Haitian Government.

 

17. On the occasion of Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we pay tribute to the generations of Caribbean-Americans who have helped shape the spirit and character of the United States of America and who continue to contribute to the growth and development of the Caribbean.