TT gets more FTAA support

THREE additional countries have thrown their support behind Port-of-Spain as the site of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Headquarters. This gives Trinidad and Tobago a significant advantage over its competitors, as it now has widespread hemispheric support from the Caribbean, Central and South America. The support follows the latest FTAA lobbying mission to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, headed by Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift.

Also present to lend support to Caricom’s candidature of Port-of-Spain were the minister of foreign affairs and international trade of barbados, Dame Billie Miller; the foreign minister of Guyana, Samuel Rudy Insanally and the permanent representative of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Ambassador Paulette Bethel, who stood in for Foreign Minister Frederick Mitchell. These Foreign Ministers have led previous lobbying missions to South and Central American countries.

The FTAA team included the consul general to Toronto, Michael Lashley; the Ambassador of Costa Rica, Carlos Echeverria, who is actively involved in persuading his other Central American countries; Rhonda Henry-Ramos, FTAA bid co-ordinator; Randal Karim, trade specialist and Cheryl Moses, communications specialist. On September 24, Gift hosted a meeting at the UN Headquarters with his hemispheric counterparts. It was well attended by many foreign ministers and representatives of over 25 countries. Prime Minister Patrick Manning addressed the meeting, listing the achievements and noting the attractiveness of Trinidad and Tobago as the best site for the FTAA Headquarters, to the large receptive audience.