Esteemed Prime Ministers;
Secretary General of CARICOM, His Excellency, Dr. Edwin Carrington;
Honorable Ministers and Attorneys General;
Other Members of Delegations;
Other Dignitaries_
It is a singular honour for Antigua and Barbuda to host this historic meeting of the Bureau of Heads of Government. As the newest kid on this block, I beg your indulgence should any lapses into local realities during my remarks be seen as representing any affront to protocol.
The Seventeenth Meeting of the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with participation by the Core Group on Haiti, was held at the Office of the Prime Minister, St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda on 4-5 May 2004, under the Chairmanship of Hon. Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government.
"Congratulations on your epic history-making record test innings of 400 not out in the Fourth Test against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground surpassing the highest score of 380 made by the Australian, Matthew Hayden. Your regaining of the world record is a tumultuous victory for all West Indian peoples.
The presence of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Electoral Observer Mission in Antigua and Barbuda arose from a request from the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to monitor the General Elections held on Tuesday 23 March 2004. In response, the Caribbean Community agreed to mount a nine-person Electoral Observer Mission.
ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA – A ‘Regional Workshop on Trade for Journalists/Media Practitioners’, held in Antigua, came to a close on April 6. The two day forum was jointly organized by the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored Caribbean Trade and Competitiveness (C-TRADECOM) Program. Hon. Harold Lovell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism and International Transportation, Antigua & Barbuda, opened the workshop at an opening ceremony, April 4.
ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA – The Director-General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM), Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, met with Antigua & Barbuda Prime Minister Hon. Baldwin Spencer in St. John’s, Antigua, April 6. At that meeting, Ambassador Bernal pledged the RNM’s full support to the new government. “The RNM is at the service of Antigua & Barbuda”, he said.
Mr. Chairman
Distinguished Heads of State and Government
Delegates_
The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Honourable Baldwin Spencer, is unable to be here with us in St. Kitts & Nevis for this meeting.
He has asked me to convey his sincere regret to his colleagues and to the meeting at being unable, two days after a general election, to take himself away from the urgent tasks involved in forming a government. He sends his best wishes for successful deliberations.
The Secretary-General and Staff of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat have learnt with shock and great sadness of the passing of Leonard "Tim" Hector, the well-known Caribbean cricket commentator, journalist, political activist and historian from Antigua and Barbuda.
Tim was a true Caribbean man whose commitment and passion for the Region, its people and for those things which mattered most in their lives such as cricket and politics, made him a great force in his nation=s life and in the arena of Caribbean life as well.
Ministers with responsibility for Information and Communication Technology (ICT)in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are due to meet in Antigua and Barbuda next Wednesday, 15 May 2002, to look at the regional information and communication technology environment as well as to mobilise coordinated action towards the framing of regional programming and a CARICOM Policy on ICT.
The Eight Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-Japan Consultation was held at the Jolly Beach Resort in Antigua and Barbuda on 4-5 March 2002. The Delegation of CARICOM Member States was headed by Ambassador Colin Murdoch of Antigua and Barbuda and that of the Government of Japan was headed by Mr. Ken Shimanouchi, Director-General of the Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.