Opening ceremonies were held this evening at the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in Basseterre, St. Kitts for the 27th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting.
Many portentous issues await the leaders including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, and crime and drug trafficking. Belize has asked the heads to consider the issue of human trafficking, and with major input from Belize, the heads will also discuss their position on the United Nations Security Council's rotating seat. The U.S. has been aggressively lobbying CARICOM's leaders, asking them to support Guatemala's candidacy, but Belize is expected to ask those leaders not to support Guatemala unless something is done about Santa Rosa.
CARICOM leaders may also be more disposed to support Venezuela because over a dozen CARICOM member nations, most recently the host country, have signed unto the PetroCaribe initiative. It is felt that CARICOM's 14 vote bloc could prove critical in the voting which is scheduled for October. That issue will feature prominently in the caucus sessions tomorrow.
