GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Haiti’s President and CARICOM Chairman Michel Martelly says his country is open for business.
His declaration came on Thursday at a news briefing at the CARICOM Secretariat at Lilliendaal, East Coast Demerara.
Martelly said they were looking to bring jobs into the country for their people as the country worked to recover from its economic turmoil.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) President of Haiti, His Excellency Michel Martelly is spearheading his country’s deeper involvement in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) but has warned against the expectations of things happening quickly.

“It’s not like you push a button and something happens,” he said, and added that the relationship is being built through discussions, getting to know people and nurturing ties.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The importance of competitiveness and productivity improvements for Caribbean enterprises aspiring to take advantage of opportunities in regional and extra-regional markets was the main focus at a colloquium that brought together regional policy-makers and business leaders in Bridgetown, Barbados from March 20 to 21.

The Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA) mounted the Caribbean Exporters’ Colloquium, the culmination of a week-long suite of activities that unfolded during the inaugural Caribbean Export Week.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) “You are the Community; you are CARICOM. I believe that things will change because we want to change them. I want to congratulate you as you have decided to give your time to better this world.”

This was the message His Excellency Michel Martelly, Chair of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community and President of Haiti brought to staff members of the CARICOM Secretariat whom he addressed briefly on Thursday afternoon during his whirlwind official visit to the Secretariat.

In the past few weeks there has been a lot of speculation in the Caricom and regional media about whether the PetroCaribe programme will survive without President Hugo Chávez.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - As in all areas of crime-fighting and, indeed, law and order, successive T&T administrations have fallen short in combating, let alone suppressing, the traffic in illicit drugs. As the United States State Department's latest Narcotics Report reminds T&T, this country has been less than a fully fledged ally in the US-led war on drugs.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela has halted communication with a top US diplomat in the wake of President Hugo Chavez's death, hardening its anti-US stance ahead of an election next month.
Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said yesterday that "any type of contact has been postponed" with US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, who had reportedly reached out to Venezuela's government before Chavez's death.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - People who view politicians with scepticism and a great deal of suspicion are likely to dismiss the People's National Party's (PNP's) desire to address public perception of corruption in politics.
Yet, it is a burning issue that the ruling party should be commended for confronting with the hope of correcting in this its 75th year of existence.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – A delegation from the China EXIM Bank has arrived here for talks with government as Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer said his administration had repaid the funds borrowed to purchase the power plant at Crabbes.
“We are delighted that we have been able to close this loan agreement with the China EXIM Bank that was entered into by the former administration some 15 years ago.  Last month we made the final payment of 2.2 million RMB (One Chinese dollar = US$0.16 cents) on the loan,” said Prime Minister Spencer.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia government Wednesday expressed its “most sincere gratitude and appreciation” to civil servants who have defied strike action by their colleagues over demands for increased salaries and have turned out to work. In a statement, the Kenny Anthony administration said that their selfless actions have ensured that vital governmental services to the general public have not been compromised and that it was not also obligated to pay workers who stayed away from their jobs. “The Government of St.