Your Excellencies the Governor General of Jamaica and the Most Hon. Lady Cooke
Our Host, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, and our current CARICOM Chairman, the Most Hon. P. J. Patterson
Your Excellencies, the Presidents of the Republic of South Africa and of the Republic of Chile
Distinguished Heads of State and Government of Member States and Associate Member States of the Caribbean Community
Heads of International OrganisationsÂ
Hon. Ministers
Your Excellencies and other Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Our other Distinguished Special Guests
Kurleigh King
Your Excellencies the Governor General of Jamaica and the Most Hon. Lady Cooke
Our Host, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, and our current CARICOM Chairman, the Most Hon. P. J. Patterson
Your Excellencies, the Presidents of the Republic of South Africa and of the Republic of Chile
Distinguished Heads of State and Government of Member States and Associate Member States of the Caribbean Community
Heads of International Organisations
Hon. Ministers
Your Excellencies and other Members of the Diplomatic Corps
It is my singular pleasure to extend a warm welcome to this distinguished assembly, at this opening ceremony of the Twentieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.
I extend this welcome on behalf of the people and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
It is for me an honour, a privilege and a pleasure to be part of this historic occasion which the holding of the 10th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government in Suriname represents.
Your Excellency Jules Wijdenbosch, President of Suriname
Chairman of the Caribbean Community
Other distinguished Heads of State and Government
Vice President of Suriname
Speaker of the National Assembly
Hon. Ministers
Members of the Assembly
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Other distinguished guests
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen_
Esteemed Colleagues,
Esteemed Mr. Vice-President
Members of the Council of Ministers
Madam Speaker of the National Assembly
Representatives of High Councils of State
Distinguished Delegates
Member of the Corps Diplomatique
Ladies and Gentlemen
As a mark of respect for the death of former Secretaries-General the Hon. William Demas TC, OCC and Dr Kurleigh King, GCM, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat will open Books of Condolence for signing on Wednesday December 2, 1998 at its Headquarters at the Bank of Guyana Building.
The books will be open from 10 a.m to 4 p.m on Wednesday and also from 10 a.m to 4 p.m on Thursday December 3, 1998.
It is with a sense of deep loss that the Caribbean Community awoke yesterday to the news that the Hon. William G. Demas, OCC - former Secretary-General of CARICOM - died on Saturday, 28 November. This follows news of the death, some 48 hrs earlier of another former Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, Dr. Kurleigh King of Barbados.
The Caribbean Community has learned with great sadness of the recent death of former Secretary-General of CARICOM, Dr. Kurleigh King of Barbados.
The Fourth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community was held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from 4-8 July 1983. Twelve States were represented by their Heads of Government_ the Rt. Hon. Sir Lynden Pindling, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas; Rt. Hon. J.M.G. Adams, Barbados; the Rt. Hon. George Price, Belize; Hon. Mary Eugenia Charles, Commonwealth of Dominica; Hon. Maurice Bishop, Grenada; President Forbes Burnham, Guyana; the Rt. Hon. Edward Seaga, Jamaica; Hon. John Osbourne, Montserrat; Hon. Dr Kennedy Simmonds, St. Kitts-Nevis; Hon.