Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade

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Her Excellency Dame Louise Lake-Tack, Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda and Chairman of COFCOR, the Honourable Baldwin Spencer

Honourable Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Attorney-General of Belize and Outgoing Chariman of COFCOR

Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Dominica

Honourable Ministers

Members of Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda

Assistant Secretary-General of the OAS, His Excellency Albert Ramdin

Heads and Members of Delegation

Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations and Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat

Distinguished Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps

Distinguished Guests

Representatives of the Media

Ladies and Gentlemen

A warm welcome to you all. Allow me however, to extend a very special welcome to those Foreign Ministers who are attending their first regular meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR).

I refer to: the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Dominica, Hon. Roosevelt Skeritt; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas, Hon. Brent Symonette; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Attorney General of Belize, Hon. Wilfred Elrington; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, Hon. Carolyn Rodrigues; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon. Paula Gopie-Scoon; the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Business of Barbados, Hon. Donville Inniss; and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Senator the Hon. Dr. Ronald Robinson - a virtual new team. Distinguished Foreign Ministers, the Community welcomes you warmly and stands ready to benefit from the perspectives that you will be bringing to the work of this very important Community Organ.

This Organ is one of the key Organs of the Community. It is the main instrument by which one of the Community's pillars, namely the coordination of Foreign Policy is pursued.

The Council is specifically tasked in Article 16 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, with the responsibility for "determining relations between the Community and international organisations and Third States".

Among the Council's many mandates in pursuit of that objective is the mandate which requires it to "establish measures to coordinate the foreign policies of the Member States of the Community.. and to seek as far as practicable, the adoption of Community positions on major hemispheric and international issues."

It should be noted that the success of the Community in this latter regard, has been one of the greatest strengths of our Caribbean Community and has been a widespread source of admiration by many. On the other hand, it must be recognised that a departure from the pursuit of that obligation will significantly weaken our Community And its individual Member States. Much of the Community's strength, therefore, rest in the hands of the members of this Council.

Honourable Ministers, as we meet here in this delightful country of Antigua and Barbuda, our task is to promote and protect our Community's strategic interest, in the context of a rapidly changing international and hemispheric environment. As such, Ministers will be called upon to determine how the Region must respond to the accompanying challenges; what new initiatives can be mounted by the Region; and what mechanisms the Region needs to put in place to attain the Community's objectives.

Paramount among the challenges, is the Community's need to respond to the redistribution of power and influence on the global stage. This redistribution has resulted in part, though not in whole, from the growing importance of countries, such as the People's Republic of China, Brazil and India.

The Community must be aware of and alert and responsive to the shifting priorities of many of our traditional partners as well. For example, take Canada with which the countries of the Region have historically had a special relationship, that country has significantly enhanced its support to the Region - some Cdn$600M over the next decade but it has done so with a much stronger emphasis on the integration process as represented by the Caribbean Community.

Also, though the Region continues to enjoy friendly relations with the United Kingdom and with the United States of America, born of longstanding political, economic, trading and social ties, those relationships have shifted emphasis towards security in the case of the United States and from a preferential, to a reciprocal trading relationship, in the case of the United Kingdom, as part of the European Union- CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement.

Perhaps most dynamic of all, are the new relations being developed with our non-traditional partners. Our Community has responded positively to the interests shown by emerging development partners in Europe - Spain, Italy and Austria in particular and opportunities have also opened up with Japan and South Korea.

Even as these new opportunities arise, our Community must seek to strengthen the historical links which it has established, with the countries of Africa and the Pacific during the periods of the Lome and the Cotonou Agreements. This objective may, however, have been somewhat compromised by the EU-CARIFORUM Regional Economic Partnership Agreement into which the Region is about to enter.

Countries in Latin America also offer new opportunities to the Community and this Meeting will be looking at some of them. Three of our Member States in particular, have led the way in developing closer relations with Latin America. Belize on the one hand, and Guyana and Suriname on the other, have long agreed to be the Community's bridges with Central and South America respectively. They have sought to strengthen our ties through membership of the Central American Integration System (SICA) in the case of Belize, and in the case of Guyana and Suriname, through the Treaty of Amazonian Cooperation and the South American Community of Nations. And let me take this opportunity to convey the Region's warm congratulations to Guyana and Haiti on recently becoming full members of the Rio Group.

Also we wish to express our appreciation to Guyana for its representation in that Group on behalf of the Community, over many years.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, there is another major component of the work of this Council. As you are aware, this Council is the Council for Foreign and Community Relations. Yet, historically, little emphasis has been placed on the latter aspect - Community Relations. Let us never underestimate the importance of strengthening ties among Member States of the Community. It is critical for the very survival of our Region as an integration movement - Solidarity like Charity, must begin at home!

If some members of the Community were to feel for any reason that their interests are ignored or marginalised, that will undoubtedly lead to a weakened Community. Equally, if relations between various Member States were to become strained that too can weaken and threaten the very survival of our Community; and if our Community is to be as our Heads of Government so aptly designated it in Barbados at their last Meeting in July, as "A Community for All", then not only must the interests of all be served, but all must feel that their interests are being served - and the all refers to the people of all.

Honourable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, given the critical importance of this Council in the structure and functioning of our Community, it is not surprising and indeed it is highly desirable, that from time to time, it takes the opportunity to look at its functioning and to see what changes need to be made. This is particularly relevant on this occasion when there have been significant changes in its composition. It is therefore opportune that the Council will be doing just that during this Meeting and even more so, given the issues which will form the subjects of their retreat.

The Agenda of this Eleventh Meeting of the COFCOR focuses on issues central to and critical to our Community's advancement. It ranges from the protection of CARICOM'S Strategic Interests in the changing international and hemispheric context, as alluded to earlier, to Climate Change - Foreign Policy Strategy Post-Bali, to Summits involving the Community including the one which we have just been apprised of in Honduras and to Issues before the United Nations.

This Meeting therefore, has critical issues on its Agenda. Taking place as it is, some three weeks following the preparatory Meeting of Officials, would have afforded Ministers more than the customary time for familiarising themselves with the Issues to be discussed. I am sure, Honourable Ministers, that you would wish me to thank the Officials for the invaluable work they have done in preparing the material necessary to assist you in your deliberations.

In closing, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to express our appreciation to Belize for providing the Chairmanship of this Council over the past year.

Also permit me to thank the Government and People of Antigua and Barbuda for the excellent arrangements provided for the conduct of this Meeting and for the warm hospitality extended to us. Let us also Mr. Chairman, congratulate you on assuming the Chairmanship of COFCOR as well as the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China.

I wish to assure you, Honourable Prime Minister, of the unstinting support of the Secretariat as you fulfill these onerous tasks. On a personal note, I was deeply honoured to have been afforded though your initiative, the opportunity last week to participate in this very room, under your visionary leadership, in the Meeting of G77 Eminent Personalities to consider a Development Platform for the South in preparation for the United Nations High Level Summit on South-South Cooperation. Thank you indeed!

Finally, I eagerly look forward to the deliberations of this, the Eleventh Meeting of the COFCOR. I extend to you all my best wishes and particular to you Mr. Chairman, as you lead this Council in the year ahead.

I thank you.

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