By Donna Ortega,
News Editor
QUEBEC CITY, CANADA:
THE CARIBBEAN Community (CARICOM) lost out on its bid to involve Cuba in hemispheric integration and free trade but the Third Summit of the Americas left the regional group 'satisfied' with concessions to small economies and steps to break the "digital divide" between developed countries and itself.
Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur told a press conference yesterday that the Caribbean was the smallest and most vulnerable region in the hemisphere and the world and therefore had certain concerns relevant to the integration process. He said that the Summit effort had stood the test of equity, relevance and inclusiveness and he was pleased to say that the Summit had taken steps to go a far way in realising these. He made no mention of the democratic clause which Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said on Saturday had been agreed by consensus, and which effectively shut Cuba out of the process and from its benefits.
Mr. Arthur chose instead to focus on two other concerns of import to CARICOM, which had been outlined in his opening presentation and that of St. Lucian Prime Minister Kenny Anthony's special provisions for small economies and access to an increased flow of information technology.
He said that developments in information technology were in great danger of creating a digital divide but the Summit process had determined that there will be no digital divide. "Our connectivity agenda is the most exciting new development of the Summit which I commend to the people of the Caribbean," he said.
Mr. Arthur said that the Summit and its margins had allowed Caribbean heads of government to negotiate stronger bilateral relationships with its neighbours, especially the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Andean countries and Mercosur. "We look forward to successful partnerships with the members of the hemisphere," he said.
Responding to questions, the Barbadian leader said that he was pleased that there was a framework in place to protect the most vulnerable economies as the recommendations from the Trade Ministerial in Argentina earlier this month had been embraced by the Summit. Clear mandates had been given to individual negotiating groups to be translated into special treatment for small economies, he said.
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Mr. Arthur said he was also happy with the adequacy of arrangements for implementation. He welcomed the commitment for further support for the Plan of Action from the Organisation of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Pan American Health Organisation, the World Bank and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean that would provide resources and institutional arrangements for this.
The IDB yesterday outlined, in a separate press conference with these agencies, its offer to the Summit of a proposed portfolio of regional projects designed to meet the challenges of the hemisphere's developing countries. The initiatives are focused on priority areas for Latin America and the Caribbean: strengthening of democracy to consolidate governance, integration as a means to achieve economic growth, sustainable use of natural resources to protect the environment, development of human capital to reduce social disparities and promotion of Internet access to stimulate technological development of the region.
The Gleaner was unable to get a comment from Prime Minister P.J. Patterson or his delegation which included Ambassador to Washington Richard Bernal, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Paul Robertson, and Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Charmaine Constantine.
Mr. Patterson was among other Caribbean leaders scheduled to meet with US President George Bush, but that meeting was postponed on Saturday when only three Prime Ministers out of 14 were able to attend. The others were detained because of the violence erupting in the streets.
