By Lindsay Mackoon, Gleaner CorrespondentPORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad
CARIBBEAN LEADERS have taken a decision not to readmit Haiti into the fold of the 15-member regional grouping, CARICOM.
A ban was imposed on the French-speaking state following the ousting of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide earlier this year.
The decision against lifting the ban was made yesterday as regional leaders wound up a two-day special summit at the Hilton Hotel here.
CARICOM chairman, Dr. Keith Mitchell, the Grenada Prime Minister, told reporters the community was sticking to its guns. He said: There will be no interaction with Haiti at the regional level, even though individual countries may wish to do so. But we will continue to provide assistance as promised."
VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana and St. Lucia are vehemently opposed to the idea of dialogue with Haiti, arguing that the country's democracy was breached when Aristide was toppled in February.
It was also announced that implementation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) has been pushed back. It was scheduled to become operational from the beginning of 2005.
Also last night, Trinidad and Jamaica signed an energy agreement. Trinidad's Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, declined to go into the details of the pact.
However, he did say Jamaica will supply Trinidad with bauxite for a multimillion dollar aluminium smelter plant to be established in South Trinidad next year. Prime Minister P. J. Patterson signed on behalf of Jamaica. The two men inked a similar agreement in Kingston last week.
