Panday calls for emergency Caricom meeting

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday called for an emergency meeting of Caricom leaders following yesterday’s flight of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from Haiti and said this strengthens the case for the immediate deployment of a peacekeeping force to the troubled Caribbean nation. Panday told Newsday yesterday: “That is a tragedy. I hope that chaos does not reign.”

He said it is vital now for Caricom leaders to meet urgently with Haitian representatives to determine the situation in that country and prevent a Caricom state from unravelling. Panday said while events over the last 24 hours bolstered the need for some type of peacekeeping force, the situation was different because there is no legitimate government in place in Haiti. Both Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Panday have said peacekeepers should only enter Haiti on the invitation of the Haitian authorities. Manning said the TT Defence Force was being placed on alert for possible deployment to Haiti. Last Wednesday the UN Security Council rejected a Caricom resolution for a peacekeeping force being dispatched to Haiti.