By Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent
Email: ivan@caribbeannetnews.com
WASHINGTON, USA: Guyana is likely to cooperate with Suriname in the near future in promoting, research, development and production of bio-fuel. Both countries should seek options how to work closely together in this field, Guyana president Bharat Jagdeo has indicated.
“Suriname definitely has tremendous potential in this (bio-fuel) regard,” Jagdeo said in an interview Tuesday here in Washington DC shortly after the opening session of the historic Conference on the Caribbean at the World Bank.
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Guyana's President Bharrat
Jagdeo. AFP PHOTO |
Jagdeo noted that Suriname and Guyana, as two of the largest CARICOM member states, which also share land borders, have enormous potential to produce bio-fuel and ethanol, which could drive back both countries energy bill significantly.
Currently Georgetown is working closely with the Economic Commission for Latin-America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to fast track development and production of renewable energy including bio-fuel.
Meanwhile the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has funded studies in Jamaica and Barbados to explore possibilities in this sector.
“Suriname could be included,” said Jagdeo, announcing that shortly a conference on bio-fuel is being organized in Guyana. Guyana will tap into a promise Brazilian president Inacio Lula da Silva made on visiting Guyana recently.
At the opening of the conference several speakers noted the challenges the CARICOM nations face regarding the rising costs of energy, which is detrimental to the execution of social programs.
IDB-president Luis Alberto Moreno told the audience that the region should invest in renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind, bio-diesel and ethanol. According to Moreno Jamaica, Guyana and Barbados could substitute at least 10 percent of their energy imports with the production of renewable energy.
Asked whether he expects a positive outcome of the CARICOM with the US government, Jagdeo argued that “it is too early to speculate on that”.
“But we were very clear about the issues we want to discuss with the US government. It’s up to them to respond positively on those issues; we hope that they will respond favorably to some of the requests we put on the table as we try to build a partnership,” added the Head of State of Guyana.
Wednesday the CARICOM leaders were due to hold a two hours session with US president George W. Bush to discuss pressing matters including security, trade, eradication of poverty and migration. | 
