P.M. Barrow to represent Belize at Summit of the Americas

And in news of the region, it is the first time that the Summit of The Americas is being held in the Caribbean, so expectations are high for a successful outcome. Trinidad and Tobago will play host to U.S. President Obama, Canadian P.M. Stephen Harper, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and other hemispheric leaders from April seventeenth to nineteenth. The logistical and security arrangements are presenting challenges for organizers, the U.S. delegation alone is a thousand strong. The agenda is an ambitious one – on the table is the current global economic crisis and discussions will evolve on the theme “Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability”. There is also the issue of Cuba which has been excluded from the summit as well as from the other hemispheric body, the O.A.S. But Cuba is very much a partner in the Caribbean and the rest of the hemisphere. Key players find its exclusion unacceptable and want relations between the U.S. and the island to normalize. The official Belize delegation will be led by Prime Minister Dean Barrow who is currently also the Chair of CARICOM. Other members are Mrs. Kim Simpliss Barrow, the Foreign Minister Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, Ambassador to Washington Nestor Mendez and the P.M.’s C.E.O. Audrey Wallace. The summit is organized by a number of multilateral bodies with the support of the O.A.S. and is being financed by the Canadian International Development Agency, the U.S. State Department, and the Government of Spain. The previous summit was held in Argentina and the first in 1994 was held in Miami. It is only the fifth summit of the Americas. William Neal and myself will be covering the event for Channel Five and we will be bringing you live reports from Port of Spain for Open Your Eyes as well as for our newscasts beginning Tuesday, April fourteenth. Stay tuned for all the coverage on this station.