Caribbean Forwards Integration
Bridgetown, Jun 16 (Prensa Latina) Caribbean Community (CARICOM) chair Patrick Manning is kicking off Friday a tour in Barbados, Belize and Jamaica as part of the group´s efforts to conform a single market this month.
Accompanied by CARICOM General Secretary Edwin Carrington and other officials, Manning, also Trinidad and Tobago prime minister, will wrap up regional governments´ commitment to integrate the area.
Thursday, he explained that in a three-day meeting in Barbados the main conflicts over operational capacity of the Regional Development Fund, which various nations considered indispensable for their participation in the Caribbean Single Market, were resolved.
Trinidad and Tobago promised to donate 29 million dollars, nine more than the figure first announced.
He added that Granada, one of the bloc´s main concerns as hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) devastated its agriculture and hotel facilities, had also been recovered.
As part of his tour of five Caribbean states before concluding his tenure as CARICOM leader on June 30, Manning met with presidents Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana, and Ronald Venetiaan, Surinam.
With the latter he held talks on the high criminality and insecurity reigning in the Community.
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