Consensus soon on crime talks

"There has been significant progress, Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis reported.

So is an agreement in sight on the issue of the crime which is plaguing the society? Deputy Political Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said it would be premature to say yes.

A Government team headed by Prime Minister Patrick Manning and an Opposition team headed by Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday met from 10 am to midday and then from 2 pm until 5 pm. The discussions continue at 1.30 pm today "to firm up some of the issues" both sides have raised, Robinson-Regis stated.

However, at a press conference, which was held by — not Manning and Panday — but Robinson-Regis and Bissessar — the report given to the media was very scant.

Both women refused to give any specifics on what was discussed. "We looked at legislative matters and management issues," Persad-Bissessar stated, declining to say if things looked positive or not. "We are not mandated to discuss specific issues, because we do not have that level of agreement which we hope to reach with further discussions (today)," she said.

Said Robinson-Regis, "The discussions are ongoing."

Asked if she was optimistic or pessimistic, Robinson-Regis was non-committal. "We are not any kind of ‘mistic’ at all," she said, causing Persad-Bissessar to laugh.

The UNC’s team is outnumbered. The four- man team representing the Government is AG John Jeremie, Planning Minister Robinson-Regis, National Security Minister Martin Joseph and Manning, while UNC’s three-man team is Political Leader Winston Dookeran, Panday, and Persad-Bissessar.

Both Persad-Bissessar and Robinson-Regis, in apologising for the meagre details provided to the media, stressed that they were merely holding the news conference as a matter of courtesy because the media had been waiting outside throughout the discussions. "We thought it was proper to have you come in, rather than all of you trying to bombard us outside (as we make our way out). We thought we were doing the kind and decent thing by bringing you inside," Robinson-Regis said.