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Caribbean trade ministerial meeting to be held in Miami

Saturday, May 22, 2004

WASHINGTON, USA: Foreign and Trade Ministers from the Caricom Member States will arrive in Miami on May 23 for a Caribbean Trade Ministers meeting designed to strengthen the relationship between the United States and the nations of the Caribbean.

"This meeting organized by the Inter-American Economic Council will provide the Ministers with an opportunity to review the multi-lateral relationship between the United States and the Caricom Member States," said Council President Barry Featherman.

The Trade Ministers will meet with a bipartisan group of members of the United States Congressional Caribbean Caucus and key business leaders from the Caribbean and South Florida. The issues on the agenda will include the status of the FTAA negotiations, the third border initiative, port security, the patriot act, and foreign investment.

High-level ministerial delegations from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the Caricom Secretariat, the OAS and the Regional Negotiating Machinery will be part of the discussions.

Opening remarks will be delivered by Council President Barry Featherman and the Lead Coordinator for Trade for Caricom, Dame Billie Miller, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

In addition to the meeting with Members of Congress the Ministers will also discuss the FTAA negotiations and review the experience of other governments in negotiating Free Trade. The ministers will dine with Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz and participate in a business roundtable moderated by Florida FTAA Chairman Ambassador Chuck Cobb.

"The Caribbean trade ministers meeting is a key component of our organization's Caribbean initiative," said Featherman. "We are fully committed to realizing the potential opportunity that the FTAA offers the Caribbean countries, and to provide a forum for the Caribbean trade ministers to ensure that the FTAA negotiations produce an agreement that facilitates economic growth and development in the Caricom Member States"

Featherman indicated that Miami was chosen for its close proximity to the Caribbean countries, the incomparable number of flights from the Caribbean to Miami, its state of the art facilities, and the city's experience in hosting important meetings of this type.

Featherman also commended the excellent assistance provided by the Caricom Secretariat along with the state and city's leadership including Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz, Mayor of Miami-Dade County Alex Penelas, Ambassador Chuck Cobb and Florida FTAA President Jorge Arrizurieta.

The Congressional Caribbean Caucus was established as a follow up to two historic visits by Congress Members to Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados in January of last year, a visit to St. Lucia in 2004 and the Business Roundtable organized by the Council under the Auspices of the Government of Barbados at the OAS General Assembly Meeting.

The Council's goal is to work with sub- regional groups within Latin America including the Andean Initiative and the Caribbean Initiative to facilitate understanding and greater sensitivity and appreciation of specific regional issues.

The Council has cooperative agreements with the Organization of American States signed by the Council President with Dr. Cesar Gaviria in June of 2000 and the Caribbean Development Bank signed by President Featherman with Dr. Compton Bourne last December.

The Council is chaired by His Excellency Ambassador Christopher Thomas of Trinidad and Tobago, the former Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States.

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