Gov't to assess effect from attacks on US

Davies

WESTERN BUREAU:

MINISTER OF Finance and Planning Dr. Omar Davies has been instructed to meet with key Ministers of government before the end of the week, to assess the effect of last week's terrorist attacks in the United States.

"I have instructed the Minister of Finance and Planning to meet the technicians in the government in the first instance, and to meet before the end of the week with sector leaders that are likely to be most adversely affected so that we can get the best picture possible of what is the damage at this stage," Prime Minister P.J. Patterson told reporters in Montego Bay yesterday.

The Ministries of Tourism, Transport, and Industry, Commerce and Technology have been asked to assess the damage in these areas.

Mr. Patterson said a comprehensive plan would have to be developed in collaboration with the private sector and unions, but could not say how or when the government would act.

"It is very difficult, in fact it will be prudent at this time, to give a fixed timetable, because not only do we not know the exact depth of the problem, but we simply don't know when all the requisite information will be available. And therefore we are going to have to plan accordingly with what we know and what we can reasonably anticipate," he said.

"We know that there will be some fallout in areas of the Jamaican economy. I don't think anybody is in a position to calculate in terms of value exactly how much the fallout would be. What we do know is that it will be very extensive, and while some areas will be more affected than others there is no area that will be immune," the Prime Minister cautioned.

Government will also explore the possibility of teaming up with other Caribbean countries to seek collective assistance from multilateral institutions, he said.

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