Honourable Brent Symonette, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas and Chairman of the Community Council of Ministers
Honourable Christopher Sinckler, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Business of Barbados
Other Honourable Ministers
Distinguished Delegates
Deputy Secretary-General and Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat
Representative of the OECS Secretariat
Representatives of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

Mr. Chairman,
Colleague Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Community Council,
Secretary General of the Caribbean Community,
Excellencies,
Senior Officials,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour for me to welcome you to Barbados on the occasion of the 21st session of the Community Council.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Georgetown Guyana) Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) His Excellency Edwin Carrington told the 21st Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers that the issues before it required “the most profound consideration in determining the best course of action in the interest of improving the quality of life of our citizens.”

(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana_) The Caribbean Community Secretariat will convene the First Meeting of Experts and Stakeholders concerning the Development of Harmonised Legislation for the Reform of the Electric Sector from 13–15 February 2008 at the Fort Young Hotel, Roseau, Dominica.

The meeting, sponsored by the UNDP/GEF Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme (CREDP), is the first of two, to facilitate stakeholder consultation towards building regional consensus on draft model legislation in different national jurisdictions of the Community.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Twenty-First Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council of Ministers takes place at the Accra Beach Hotel, Christ Church, Barbados on Friday 8 February 2008 with a review of the preparations for next month’s 19th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government among the items listed for the Council’s attention.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) As the region remains stunned by the sudden death of Hon. Charlesworth Samuel, Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Environment, Marine Resources and Agro Industries of Antigua and Barbuda, CARICOM Secretary-General, His Excellency Edwin Carrington has hailed the late Minister’s contribution to the Community in a message to Honourable Winston Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and the family of the Minister.