ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, July 26th, 2011 – Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE has dubbed the recent pre-Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) Meeting successful stating it has achieved its objective of agreeing to a common agenda and key issues to be discussed at the annual OTCC meeting with Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) in London in November.
The meeting brought together heads of government from the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) who met on Scrub Island from July 22 -24 to deliberate on critical issues affecting their respective territories.
Present were Premier and Chairman of the pre-OTCC meeting Honourable O’Neal, Premier of the Cayman Islands Honourable W. McKeeva Bush, OBE, JP, Chief Minister of Anguilla Honourable Hubert Hughes, Minister of Communications, Works and Labour for Montserrat Honourable Charles Kirnon and their accompanying delegations.
Following the meeting on July 22, Premier O’Neal told the Department of Information and Public Relations he was pleased that they were able to earnestly discuss issues, plan the agenda and produce a list of areas where cooperation between UKOTs and HMG would be mutually beneficial.
“We had a very useful discussion that was ‘free and frank’ and to the point,” Premier O’Neal stated. “We will definitively be singing from the same page in London. ”He explained that the leaders consulted and supported each other on various matters of mutual interest, adding that they voiced support for each other in areas where they did not necessarily share common interests.
Among the agenda items discussed were the UKOTs perspective of the new coalition government and what this new leadership means for both counterparts; constitutional matters focusing on the clarification of the roles and responsibilities of HMG representatives and UKOT leaders; fiscal and economic planning and management; the proposed new White Paper and the relationship between HMG and UKOTs; civil aviation matters and recommendations for a sustainable management structure; and various security matters.
The upcoming November annual OTCC meeting is in its thirteenth year and the second under the new coalition government. The UKOTs will meet with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Mr. Henry Bellingham MP and other HMG officials.
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