SUMMIT OF 'HOPE AND FRUSTRATION'
By Rickey Singh (in Antigua)
THE 29th Caribbean Community was dragging to a close last evening with a mix of hope and frustration on arrangements to achieve a single economy as well as over contentious issues like a new economic partnership with the European Union (EU).

After intense, and at times tension-filled deliberations, the CARICOM leaders were preparing to release last evening two 'Declarations'--one of which deals with the impending signing by member states of the Community (along with the Dominican Republic) and the EU of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) initialled last December in Barbados.

The other promised 'declaration' pertaining to the way forward for CARICOM would be consistent with a signal given at the start of the four-day summit by host Prime Minister and current Community chairman, Baldwin Spencer.

"At the end of our deliberations", said Spencer, “I am confident that a Declaration of Dickenson Bay will proclaim to the Caribbean people and to the world, a renewed commitment to regional integration, with new emphasis..."

However in the post-lunch period and prior to their scheduled final caucus at Sandals Grande Antigua Resort, located at Dickenson Bay, there were indications that frustration flowing from their deliberations on the EPA with Europe may result in derailing the prospect of a "declaration" on this accord since unanimity would be an essential factor.

Therefore, with Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo yet to concur on the formulation of the EPA declaration, in view of his stated reservations, and prior to a proposed consultation being arranged for stakeholders' views in Guyana, there could only be the "Declaration of Dickenson Bay".

President Jagdeo said that "as presently advised", he could not say that he may be a party to the proposed "EPA Declaration". In contrast, Prime Minister Spencer was still hopeful of a resolution of differences as he was arranging to preside at the final caucus. 

For his part, Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce Golding, did not conceal his own disappointment when he told the media that he found the agenda both "too heavy" and not properly structured for "effective decision-making" on major issues by the Heads of Government.

Participating in his first regular annual summit since becoming Prime Minister in September last year, it was Golding who had told the ceremonial opening last Monday that they were meeting amidst mixed feelings of hope and frustration..."

In addition, Golding thinks, "that a number of issues that are being brought to us, do not really need the attention of the Heads and could be dealt with at other levels (ministerial councils)...

"Heads should really confine themselves to issues on which decisions are required and issues that involved determination of policy," said Golding who has lead responsibility in CARICOM for external economic negotiations.

Golding even raised the possibility of CARICOM considering the introduction of a sanctions mechanism against defaulting partner states as the European Union had found necessary to do.

Neither the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, who holds portfolio responsibility for freedom of movement, nor his counterpart from St Kitts and Nevis, Denzil Douglas, who has lead responsibility for health, with special emphasis on HIV/AIDS, was around for yesterday's concluding sessions.

Skerrit left for home on Thursday after indicating to the media his own frustration with "barriers" that continue to impede progress in freedom of movement for even and skilled and eligible Community nationals and continuing delays in arrangements for relevant contingency rights that will extend to them social benefits to which nationals of the countries to which they would be migrating are entitled. 

Prime Minister Douglas, having updated colleagues on his health portfolio responsibilities excused his departure for home to witness the match between the West Indies and Australia.

Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, whose recent public criticisms of the way the Community conducts its business with what he described as a "ramshackle" administrative apparatus, appeared in good spirit following his briefing of his colleagues on a plot by drug dealers to assassinate him.

He provided them with intelligence report from his security forces that, he said, were also corroborated by police intelligence in Trinidad and Tobago. Prime Minister Patrick Manning, he said, was helpful in informing that caucus session of his own supporting evidence gathered by his intelligence services to identify a Trinidadian national who was reportedly contacted as a potential "hit man", but declined.

Crime and security challenges were among matters under discussion as arrangements were being finalised for a launching ceremony of establishment of the much-discussed CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) with an initial capital of US$60 million. This was among issues that generated some hope for the future of the CSME project. (More on the conclusion of the Summit in tomorrow’s Sunday Chronicle).

Panic on Delta aircraft as passenger opens emergency exit
PANIC erupted when a passenger, the son of a popular gas station owner who died recently, on a Delta incoming flight, popped the slide of the emergency door shortly after touchdown yesterday morning at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

According to a source, the direct flight from the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, landed around 06:55 h, and minutes later the door (1L) opened, the emergency chute rolled out and the passenger exited the aircraft on it.

The source noted that fortunately, the passenger did not suffer any injury.

The source said the passenger seemed to be intoxicated.

The source also informed the Guyana Chronicle that the passenger was detained by airport security and taken to the Timehri Police Station, just minutes away from the airport.

As a result of the incident, passengers that were scheduled to depart Guyana for New York at 09:00 h flight yesterday, will now leave this morning.

The source said that engineers from the U.S. were expected to arrive last evening to fix the aircraft, since it will be unsafe for it to fly the airplane without being checked.

It is understood that the damage to the aircraft could run into thousands of US dollars.

The airline giant came on stream last June 1 with hassle-free, non-stop flights from the John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York to Guyana, with three flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. This will be increased to five per week from last Tuesday.

The airline, which has expanded its operation to 25 new destinations in the past two years, has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline, and is the leader across the Atlantic with some 38 trans-Atlantic markets.

Delta, a founding member of Sky Team, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services, along with other partners, offers flights to 474 worldwide destinations in 104 countries.

Home Affairs Ministry makes contingency arrangements for forensic team to come here
The Ministry of Home Affairs has received an official response from the US authorities saying that due to logistical and resource limitations, they are unable to fulfill the Government of Guyana’s request at this time, to dispatch a forensic/pathology team to assist with the investigations into the death of the eight miners at Lindo Creek.

Consequently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has already activated contingency arrangements at the bilateral level within CARICOM, together with other regional and international bodies, for a forensic/pathology team to visit Guyana.

It is expected that these contingency arrangements will bear fruit shortly, according to a statement from the Ministry.

The Ministry appreciates efforts by other stakeholders to expedite the arrival in Guyana of a competent scientific team to assist with investigations into the death of the eight miners at Lindo Creek, the statement says.

The statement concludes, “The Ministry of Home Affairs wishes to reassure that the Administration shares the concern of others in an equally emphatic manner, and is exerting every effort to fulfill its responsibilities speedily in this matter as it has always done in the past.

Rebuke for Antigua's PM on awards for Castro, Patterson
By Rickey Singh (in Antigua)
PRIME Minister Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and  Barbuda has been strongly criticised  by the parliamentary opposition here for publicly advocating that Cuba's Fidel Castro and Jamaica's Percival Patterson be awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC).

The opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) of former Prime Minister Lester Bird, accused Spencer of causing "an embarrassment" to the 15-member Community by proposing the legendary Cuban leader for the OCC when he should have known that such an honour is restricted to nationals of CARICOM - the Community's most prestigious award.

"Membership of the OCC", argued the ALP in a media statement, "is only open to nationals of CARICOM, or to others who would qualify to be nationals of CARICOM under the immigration laws of the region..."

Further, said the ACP, while accepting that Patterson, "the distinguished" former  Prime Minister of Jamaica, deserves to be a recipient of the OCC, the Antiguan cited the wrong reason in highlighting his role to the Haiti crisis at the time of the downfall of President Jean Bertrand Aristide, rather than how Patterson had so well served the Community over some three decades.

Prime Minister Spencer's call for consideration by CARICOM to offer the OCC to the Cuban leader, who has retired after half a century's leadership of his country, and Patterson, who retired from party politics in 2006, during last Monday's ceremonial start of the 29th summit which concluded yesterday.

The ALP feels that Spencer and his colleague CARICOM Heads of Government should move to offer ex-President Castro "a special award" for his and Cuba's recognised contributions to the countries of the Caribbean on the next occasion of  "CARICOM-Cuba Day" observance that takes place annually to commemorate the diplomatic relations first established with Havana by four Community countries back in December 1972.

So far as Patterson is concerned, the ALP feels that the Prime Minister had the opportunity to recommend him for the OCC rather than going public and doing it in a manner that "portrays himself as a paragon of virtue..."

GT&T introduces ‘Bird’ brand cellular phones

THESE lovely young ladies with the new array of “Bird” phones introduced by GT&T yesterday.

The introduction, with much fanfare, was done at Roraima Inn, Lot R 8 Eping Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown.

GT&T Director of Marketing and Sales, Mr. Wystan Robertson said the new line is intended to maintain a high quality service to all customers.

He said the offer is the best Internet ready wireless instrument and they will continue to soar above the competitors with the addition.

The five new handsets that were displayed by models elaborately decked out in blue were manufactured in China, are lightweight and user friendly, Robertson said.

The occasion also saw the cutting of a huge GT&T cake and the promotion advertisement on television was played.

Later, during a tour around the city, members of the public were asked what they thought of the phones and some believed it was a new airline while others said it was a lady.

The gadgets will be on sale from Tuesday, at $30,000 each, inclusive of VAT

MMA/ADA regularising lands distributed since 1905
By Clifford Stanley
FARMERS at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, are to benefit from the regularisation of their occupancy of 1,753 acres of State lands distributed more than 100 years ago.

A spokesman for the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary/ Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA) said the process has commenced to put an end to several transfers of ownership which had taken place, many of them illegally, because the leases were granted in 1905.

“Regularisation is a prerequisite for the intended conversion of these lands from State hold to freehold property,” the official said.

He gave the assurance following recent claims, by a number of farmers, that they had been given proprietorship in 1905 and were free to occupy as they saw fit.

On behalf of those farmers, one of them had written to the MMA/ADA, earlier this year, indicating that they would resist any attempts to remove them from occupation.

Making the announcement about the programme to regularise the situation, MMA/ADA said the plots are under the administration of the agency, in keeping with the provisions of the law governing it and the State Lands Act.

The whole area is serviced by both the primary and secondary drainage and irrigation (D&I) infrastructure constructed during the 1980s as part of the MMA/ADA, the agency explained.

Its spokesman, however, charged that, since the issue of the original leases, the lands aback of the Cotton Tree were arbitrarily divided over and over again, so much so that, in 2005, there were 168 plots.

Many were rented at lucrative rates by persons who are mostly overseas and neither the alleged owners nor the tenants have been paying the D&I charges to the MMA/ADA.

Consequently, the MMA/ADA is owed some $18.5M.

He said there have also been large scale, unauthorised and illegal sales and transfers of holdings which caused serious problems and posed enormous difficulties for tenure administration.

“We also received information that an elite group was involved in many of the sales, transfers and tenancies and that its members were pocketing huge sums of money during the transactions,” the official said.

He said the decision to proceed with regularising was also taken following representation by many persons claiming to be owners/occupants.