MATTERS relating to Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 yesterday received priority attention at the three-day Cabinet retreat currently underway at Couples Sans Souci Resort and Spa in White River, St Mary.

The CWC, rated as the third biggest sporting event in the world, after the Olympics and FIFA's World Cup, will be staged in the Caribbean from March to April next year, with the opening ceremony set for Sunday, March 11, and West Indies playing Pakistan in the first match of the tournament two days later in Jamaica.

The Cabinet looked at security matters relating to CWC on Thursday and followed up yesterday with discussions on other matters relating to the event.

"A critical part of it (CWC) is the security plan. We are going to have people of all kinds of nationalities here; we're going to have large numbers of people that we have to ensure that there is a safe environment not only for them but for our own people," Dr Peter Phillips, told the Observer from the retreat yesterday.

"We have to meet certain specifications, we have to be alert to the kinds of threat that can be imported into the country by virtue of that, and we considered that in great detail yesterday," the minister added.

According to Phillips, a host of other issues were examined, including:

. general preparations;

. accommodation needs;

. physical facilities for the venues and other facilities that have to be provided;

. exploring the benefits to Jamaica in terms of visitor arrivals and the provision of appropriate facilities; and

. the projection of Jamaica to the world.

The attention accorded the CWC by the Cabinet represents a hands-on approach the government has adopted regarding the staging of cricket's showpiece and its importance to Jamaica and the Caribbean as a region.

According to Dr Phillips, Jamaica's commitment to the event warrants the attention being paid to it by the Cabinet, as the World Cup will attract over 2.5 billion television viewers worldwide and thousands more who will flock the island to attend the games.

"This certainly has the capacity to catapult Jamaica and the Caribbean generally into positive world attention, and we need to ensure that we are prepared for it," the minister remarked.

The Cabinet also looked at several other issues such as development, including job creation; investment in productive enterprises, employment creation, especially as it relates to small business development, and the provision of social and physical infrastructure.

Prime Minister P J Patterson is to host a press briefing today, where he is expected to give details about the issues that were discussed at the retreat.

"The Prime Minister is going to have a press briefing on the matter, but I expect that he will have a clear identification of some of the priority tasks to be undertaken in the course of the remaining period of this financial year and into the next financial year, and those critical areas have to be identified and decisions taken as to what needs to be done to ensure that the development plans of the country as a whole gets follow-through," Phillips said.

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