British Prime Minister Tony Blair (left) bids farewell to his Jamaican counterpart P.J. Patterson, after a meeting at No. 10 Downing Street in London earlier this year. - REUTERS
LONDON, England (CMC):
Jamaica's PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson is among a number of Caribbean leaders who are to have a working luncheon with British Prime Minister Tony Blair today, to discuss a number of issues ranging from HIV/AIDS to security.
The meeting comes ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference that gets under way in Malta later this week.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, of Antigua and Barbuda, and his Trinidad and Tobago counterpart Patrick Manning will make presentations on "security and stability" and lead discussions on the United Kingdom Caribbean Forum Framework Agenda for the next biennium, including a review of priority issues related to security and HIV/AIDS.
Other issues on the agenda include Europe's role in the world, economic reform, including the Doha Development Agenda and Social Justice led by Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados, climate change led by Prime Minister Said Musa of Belize, and Africa, led by Prime Minister Patterson.
The CARICOM leaders and Blair are also expected to look at a proposal by Canada for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to address the issue of 'The Responsibility to Protect'.
Prime Minister Spencer is to raise with Blair, the issue of British pensioners residing in Antigua and Barbuda and their campaign to receive their full pensions from the United Kingdom.
MOVE TO MALTA NEXT
Following the meeting, the regional leaders will travel to Malta for the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers meeting, where issues including the implementation of a small states agenda and the 'Digital Divide: Networking the Commonwealth for Development' will be addressed.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which opens on November 25, will address issues such as the outcomes of the United Nations 2005 World Summit, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation and the Promotion of the Commonwealth's Fundamental Political Values.
