CARIBBEAN TODAY

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CARICOM, Rice hold 'very cordial' meeting in New York


 NELSON A. KING

NEW YORK Caribbean
community (CARICOM)
diplomats described as "very
cordial" a meeting between
regional foreign ministers and
United States Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice late
last month.
 "It was a very good meet-
ing," Grenada's U.S.
Ambassador Dennis Antoine
told the Caribbean Media
Corporation (CMC) at the
end of the hour-long meeting
at the Waldorf Astoria in New
York.
 "It was a very cordial
nL linie- added the dean of
CARICOM diplomatic corps
in Washington. "We empha-
sized the partnership of equal
access. That is the growing
concept of our meetings.
There is growing respect
between the United States
and CARICOM."


dimensional issues and agreed
to work collaboratively for
each other's interest," he said.
 "She (Rice) was not


St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves addresses the United Nations General Assembly.


Guyana David Robinson had
urged CARICOM to with-
draw its support for Venezuela
because "the South American
country could hinder their
ability to combat terrorism
and nuclear proliferation."


 Antoine said security, the
HIV/AIDS pandemic and
"the challenges facing the
region's economies," were
among other matters dis-
cussed with Rice.
 "We took a look at multi-


Rice was Trank and respectful, according to
CARICOM leaders.
pressing anyone. It was an
expression of mutual con-
cerns, very frank, meaningful
and respectful."

- CMC
0


NEW RELATIONSHIP
 Antoine's remarks came
on the heels of a call by St.
Vincent and the Grenadines'
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph
Gonsalves for "a concept
of a new relationship and lan-
guiagL between Washington
and the region.
 "Overall, I think we have
to have a concept of a new
relationship and, broadly
speaking, a new language,
which we can use to articulate
the issues in that relation-
ship," Gonsalves had told
CMC ahead of the meeting.
 Ellsworth John, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
ambassador to the U.S.,
agreed that the CARICOM-
Washington meeting was
"very cordial," adding that it
was "a frank exchange of
ideas on a range of issues."
He identified, among those
issues, a trade and investment
conference, slated for
Washington on Oct. 13; next
year's conference on the


Caribbean to be held in
Washington and U.S. support
for Guatemala as a non-per-
manent member of the United
Nations Security Council.
 "She outlined reasons
why it was good to vote for
Guatemala and stated the dif-
ferences with Venezuela with-
out getting into details," John
said.

BACKING CHAVEZ
 Gonsalves had told CMC
that CARICOM was unequiv-
ocal in supporting Venezuela,
despite pressure from
Washington and the on-going
row between the United
States and Venezuela.
 "The fact that President
Chavez made a speech at the
United Nations, which may
have upset the United States,
would not change our support
or, indeed, CARICOM,
or individual CARICOM-
member states, support for
Venezuela," he said.
 U.S. Ambassador to


October 2006


 CARIBBEAN TODAY





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