Statements and Declarations

It is with a sense of great expectation, that as Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, I address you at this Opening Ceremony of this historic Convocation on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.

Let me at the outset thank the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable David Thompson, Head of Government with Lead Responsibility in the Community for the CSME, for not only being the host of this Convocation but also for conceiving this seminal forum and for contributing so much to making it a reality.

Mr. Chairman
Honourable Ministers
Distinguished Delegates
Assistant Secretaries-General, Director-General and other Staff of the Secretariat
Representatives of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

The Member States of the Caribbean Community reiterate their view that respect for the rule of law, representative democracy and integrity in public life are fundamental elements of good governance to which they all strongly adhere. Accordingly, they were deeply disturbed by the adverse findings of Turks and Caicos Commission of Inquiry into possible corruption or other dishonesty in relation to past and present elected members of the Legislature.

We, the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community at our Thirtieth Meeting in Liliendaal, Guyana, 2-5 July, 2009, affirm our commitment to the principles and objectives of the Caribbean Community as embodied in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy -

  We, the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community at our Thirtieth Meeting in Liliendaal, Guyana, 2-5 July 2009, affirm our commitment to the principles and objectives of the Caribbean Community as embodied in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy;

Having experienced the negative fallout from the global financial and economic crisis, recognize the need to effect appropriate reform in our financial sector policy and the regional financial architecture;

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Geater Georgetown, Guyana) The following is a Statement issued by the Caribbean Community on the situation in Honduras.

The Caribbean Community views with grave concern the developments in Honduras which led to the removal by a military intervention of the democratically elected Head of State of the Republic of Honduras, President Manuel Zelaya, and to his expulsion to Costa Rica.

Trade Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), at the 27th Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development, May 14-15, 2009, expressed concern at the latest proposals by the European Union (EU) for new tariff measures to deal with the longstanding banana dispute.