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PM: Caricom at risk
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
PRIME Minister Bruce Golding has cautioned that the existence of Caricom, the only organisation dedicated to the economic interests of Caribbean countries, was at risk.
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| PRIME Minister Bruce Golding |
"There are a number of things that are happening now that are destabilising and threatening the existence of Caricom," Golding said at Monday evening's launch of Export Week at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston. "The political integration that is being pursued by Trinidad and a number of countries in the Eastern Caribbean may very well be commendable, but I believe that it is at the detriment to the deepening and strengthening of Caricom."
Warning against the support of a rival organisation, Golding said: "I believe that the membership of ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas), which now engages three Caricom countries, is going to have a destabilising effect on Caricom. It is going to distract, it is going to divert and it is something that I believe that Caricom leaders need to examine."
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oting that Jamaica was compliant with all aspects of regional integration and specially welcomes Caricom nationals, the prime minister said that he would seek clarity on the commitment of neighbouring governments at the next summit in Guyana in July.
"I am proud that Jamaica has complied with all of these critical obligations that we signed," he said.
"I will go to that meeting determined to make whatever effort we need to make, to make this thing work.
I do not believe that any of us can believe that we are going to be better off trying to swim in this Caribbean sea on our own, but it is time for us to stop playing games, for us to stop mouthing integration and professing our commitment to this process when the pragmatic demonstration of that commitment is so often not being brought to the fore."
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