MANNING
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD (CMC):
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders yesterday began their 17th inter-sessional meeting amid a call for them to seriously consider the possibility of further deepening the regional integration process.
CARICOM chairman and host Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, told the opening ceremony that amid efforts by the international community to seek closer links and the region's fight for survival in a changing global environment, it was necessary for the Caribbean to think about the possibility of a deeper union.
"Will we, with the experience of the federation, reject the idea out of hand? Shouldn't we consider that, in our first attempt, we ought to have taken the present route of economic integration before embarking on anything else? Did we put the cart before the horse almost half a century ago?" Manning asked, referring to the failed West Indies Federation.
