CARICOM Heads of Government meeting begins in Montego Bay

Caribbean nations participating in the 31st meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government began plenary sessions on Monday morning at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James.

Regional leaders led by CARICOM Chairman Prime Minister Bruce Golding were locked in the second plenary meeting of the day at about noon.

Word coming out of the closed door sessions is that the leaders have been exchanging views with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Jose Miguel Insulza and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

When Mr. Ban addressed Sunday’s opening session, he noted that the UN is focusing on the harsh economic conditions still challenging the world, security and climate change.

It is expected that these issues will form the basis of Monday’s talks with the regional heads.

For his part the IMF head is joining this week’s meeting on the heels of some CARICOM states, including Jamaica, signing off on agreements and working hard to maintain the economic path laid down by the Washington based multilateral agency.

Sunday Mr. Golding bemoaned CARICOM’s ill-preparedness while entering trading arrangements with powerful blocs who have aligned themselves even as the region struggles to reach consensus and maintain a strong footing.

It is anticipated that those concerns could form the basis of talks with the OAS.

Haiti, still struggling to recover from January’s earthquake which forced them to relinquish the hosting of this week’s conference, is also expected to form a part of the deliberations over the next few days.

Vexed issues such as the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, Britain’s Air Passenger Duty, Crime and Security and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are also expected to be placed on the table.