Caribbean and Central American leaders held a historic summit in Belize on Saturday. Five prime ministers and six presidents were here for the Second summit of CARICOM and SICA heads of state and government. Among the presidents in attendance were Guatemala's Oscar Berger, Hait's Rene Preval, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Costa Rica's Oscar Arias. Prime Ministers included Trinidad and Tobago's Patrick Manning, Owen Arthur from Barbados, and Keith Mitchell from Grenada. A big event that took just a day. Here's what happened at the opening and the closing.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
With 11 Central American and Caribbean Prime Ministers and Presidents in attendance, security at the Biltmore Best Western was high. At the opening on Saturday morning, the Prime Minister keyed in on common ground - emphasizing something two regions can easily agree on, climate change.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Belize's Prime Minister
"It is now generally accepted that climate change poses a serious threat to all our countries. It is a problem whose causes are led by the industrialized countries but whose effects fall disproportionably on our small developing countries. By working together at the political social and economic levels, we can protect
our neighborhood in this corner of the world. We can mitigate the harmful effects of climate change in a wider Caribbean that fully embraces Central America and we can move body together in concert to pursue the path of development with social justice and environmental sustainability."
But by the end of the summit 4 hours later, one important new twist had been added: the discussion of a trade agreement.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"We discussed and agreed on the need to launch an agreement between our sub-regions which will cover trade, energy, investments, and transportation. We believe that this bold initiative will not only bring our people's closer together but also help in the fight against poverty. Secondly w e agreed that natural disasters and climate change present a grave danger to our countries and we agreed on a need for closer cooperation between CDERA and Caribbean Community Climate Change Center. Finally we had an in-depth discussion on the question of energy. The cost of energy is having a serious effect on our economies. We therefore analyzed the situation and discussed practical ways to address this issue including pursuing renewal energy alternatives."
Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthurs said CARICOM and SICA must find common ground.
Owen Arthurs, Prime Minister of Barbados
"So we have at this meeting agreed to launch the discussion of a free
trade agreement by putting in place mechanisms for cooperation in all other areas."
Jules Vasquez,
How hard is it to find consensus on issues like bananas where small states in the Caribbean region are out-marketed?
Owen Arthuirs,
"I made a point at this meeting that even though our history may be different and what ever else, that we should approach, ourselves and CARICOM and Central America should approach matters relative to our integration in the global economy, recognizing that we have a common and shared vulnerability and we should try to find common ground on matters where there is a common vulnerability.
Now there has been a history of conflict but its through meetings like this and the determination to find means and mechanisms for cooperation in the future that such conflict in the past may be avoided in the future. But there is a determination on our part to find ways of cooperating more and in many other areas and in a mutually productive way.
We have to use our neighbors in Central America because the Central American countries are our immediate neighbors. We have very limited relations with the countries in Central America. We need to foster that. We need to go forward not only on trade and economic matters but on a whole range of issues;; the environment, disaster preparedness, transportation that will enable us through cooperation of this nature to give our people the prospect that cooperation can bring mean a better way of life."
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"We are a clear link between Caribbean, CARICOM in particular, and Central America, SICA. We have building this bridge. It's a work in progress and as I said today in my short address, I believe Belize can and has been serving as a catalyst to forge stronger relationship between what should be a natural relationship frankly because it is one neighborhood that we are in, a wider Caribbean."
After some back and forth between the regions over whether the neighborly group would meet once a year or once every two years, it was agreed that the next meeting would be held in two years, May of 2009 in Nicaragua.
