Press Releases

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General Mr Edwin Carrington expressed his "joy and pleasure" after witnessing today's (17 April 2002) signing of the contract for the construction of a headquarters building for the CARICOM Secretariat.

Health officials from the United States Government will meet with Health Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Georgetown, Guyana, next week to determine a joint response against the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Region. This round of discussions will follow three days of deliberations by one of the Community's organs, the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), at which forum the battle against the dreaded HIV/AIDS disease across the region will feature prominently among a wide range of critical issues.

1.    The Third UK-Caribbean Forum, hosted by the Government of Guyana, took place in Georgetown, Guyana from 3 to 5 April, 2002. The Forum was co-chaired by the Hon. S.R. Insanally, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, and current Chairman of the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) and from the UK side, the Rt. Hon. Jack Straw, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Baroness Amos, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister responsible for UK-Caribbean Relations.

Meeting in Georgetown, Guyana, on the occasion of the Third UK-Caribbean Forum, Ministers declared that the recent upsurge of violence in the Occupied Territories by Israel is unacceptable and can serve no purpose but to undermine the process toward a durable peace settlement. They condemned the attacks against Israeli citizens. They declared that military attacks against Palestinians and against the Headquarters of the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, and the threat against his person are unacceptable and excessive and must cease immediately.

The objective of the Transmission Mechanism is to ensure that information is systematically exchanged between the Caribbean and the United Kingdom on the concerns of either side, including those engaging the attention of the European Union and the wider international community.

Your Excellency, Mr. Secretary-General,

It is a distinct honour and privilege to present to you this letter confirming my appointment by the Government of Belize as Belize's Ambassador to the Caribbean Community.

In doing so, I have been asked to convey cordial greetings from Prime Minister the Honourable Said Musa, the Government and people of Belize who hold high regard for the dynamic leadership and sterling service you and members of the Secretariat provide to the Community and its institutions.