Community Council of Ministers

Welcome you all to this meeting of the Community Council and in so doing extend a special welcome to our chairman Senator the Honourable Camillo Gonsalves who is attending his first meeting and is immediately thrust into the leadership role. Minister in congratulating you on your assumption of the chair, I do so in the full knowledge that this Council is in very capable hands.

I would like to begin by thanking the CTU – under the leadership of Secretary-General Bernadette Lewis - for the invitation to bring greetings to this Opening Ceremony of the 12th Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar, as part of the CTU “ICT Week”. I would have been pleased to be here in person with you, but this week I am engaged in the consultative process leading to the preparation of the Community Strategic Plan, which will be tabled at the upcoming Heads of Government Meeting.

I would like to begin by thanking the CTU – under the leadership of Secretary-General Bernadette Lewis - for the invitation to bring greetings to this Opening Ceremony of the 12th Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar, as part of the CTU “ICT Week”. I would have been pleased to be here in person with you, but this week I am engaged in the consultative process leading to the preparation of the Community Strategic Plan, which will be tabled at the upcoming Heads of Government Meeting.

I would like to begin by thanking the CTU – under the leadership of Secretary-General Bernadette Lewis - for the invitation to bring greetings to this Opening Ceremony of the 12th Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar, as part of the CTU “ICT Week”. I would have been pleased to be here in person with you, but this week I am engaged in the consultative process leading to the preparation of the Community Strategic Plan, which will be tabled at the upcoming Heads of Government Meeting.

I would like to begin by thanking the CTU – under the leadership of Secretary-General Bernadette Lewis - for the invitation to bring greetings to this Opening Ceremony of the 12th Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar, as part of the CTU “ICT Week”. I would have been pleased to be here in person with you, but this week I am engaged in the consultative process leading to the preparation of the Community Strategic Plan, which will be tabled at the upcoming Heads of Government Meeting.

In giving these remarks, let me begin by applauding and thanking the Government and people of Grenada for the hospitable environment provided for this Twenty-First Meeting of the Council of Ministers.  The well-known hospitality of Grenada will certainly go some way to ensuring very productive discussions.

Hon. Billie Miller, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados and Chairman of the Community Council of Ministers;
Other Hon. Ministers;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Distinguished Delegates;
Distinguished Guests;
Staff of the Secretariat;
Members of the Media;
Ladies and Gentlemen_

The Community Council of Ministers held its Second Special Meeting on July 3, 2004 in accordance with the decision taken at its Fourteenth Meeting, which was held in Trinidad and Tobago on 18 June 2004. The Chairman of the Meeting was The Hon. Elvin Nimrod, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Grenada. The Meeting was primarily to discuss the recommendations for the restructuring of the CARICOM Secretariat. It also received and reviewed an update on the situation in Haiti.

Opening Remarks

Chairman, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tourism, International Trade and Transport of Antigua and Barbuda Honourable Ministers, Secretary General, Representatives of the CARICOM Secretariat, Distinguished Delegates, Members of the Media.

On behalf of the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago, it gives me great pleasure to welcome delegates to Port of Spain and to the Fourteenth Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers. As you are aware, Trinidad and Tobago did not hesitate to host this Meeting when the request was made by the Secretariat.