St. Kitts and Nevis' Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas at the closing session of the Conference on the Caribbean in Washington, D.C.

 

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 28TH 2007 (CUOPM)– St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas says the Conference on the Caribbean in Washington, D.C. was an overwhelming success.– President Bush, Secretary of State, Rice; The Ways and Means Committee chaired by Senior ranking Congressman Rangel; and The House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Chaired by Tom Lantos.

 

They all yielded proposals that are likely to be translated into positive results and mutual benefits, given the satisfactory contents of the Joint Statement issued by the White House," said Prime Minister Douglas on behalf of his CARICOM colleagues.

 

He said the Conference on the Caribbean is historic as much for the content of the agenda as for the intensity of the discourse, the consolidation of old relationships and the bonds of friendship and understanding that have been forged.

"It invigorated the spirit of Caribbean-American Heritage month in the USA as the Caribbean Community reached out and into the Diaspora causing a reverberation, a revitalization and a rekindling hope in the future of the Caribbean. In fact, Washington may never be the same again," said Prime Minister Douglas during the closing session of the Caribbean Conference on June 21st.

 

Dr. Douglas told Colleague Heads of Government, United States officials, Ambassadors and officials that the rich discussions and the recommendations from the Expert, Private Sector and Diaspora forums have been highlighted in three exceptional reports from the Rapporteurs. He said they captured the incisive analyses, the bold steps and the policy options that provide a useful basis for the way forward in US-Caribbean relations.                      ~~Adz:Right~~

 

"The recurrent themes in any plan of action to be formulated from the deliberations over the past two and a half days must revolve around the need to enhance human resources and improve the human condition to increase the region’s competitiveness; the need to place greater emphasis on a regional and hemispheric security, including the protection of the environment from further degradation; and the need to bolster the economic indicators of growth and development, by placing emphasis on strengthening the regional institutions, forging partnerships for bio-fuels and other sources of energy, fostering private sector growth, especially through new trade and investment initiatives," said the St. Kitts and Nevis leader.                                                                                                                     

 

Prime Minister Douglas said that the themes suggest the elements for collaboration which are embodied in the Declaration from the Conference and even the clauses of the Declaration as pungent with action as they are, do not reflect the passion of the debates, the candour of the comments (and candour there was) and the good will that prevailed in the forums.

 

"Nor do they capture the congenial nature of the consultations between the Heads of Government and the various government agencies with whom we met, namely