No strong-arm tactics on Caricom for votes — Miami FTAA boss

The man leading Miami’s charge to host the FTAA Secretariat, Jorge Arrizurieta, has flatly denied  that Caricom countries are being wooed with promises of financial support,  if they give Miami the thumbs-up. “It is not something that we are doing,” he said, in an interview at the Hilton Trinidad on Monday. “I know that people have been talking about deals and promises, but that is not something that we are about.” When pressed, Arrizurieta, Executive Director, Florida FTAA,  insisted, “nobody’s doing this.” He was in the country this week to try to convince Trade Minister Ken Valley that Miami should be the FTAA site. The timing of his visit was perfect, since the FTAA talks are being concluded tomorrow. “We could not convince him,” he said with a laugh. “We did not expect to.”

Stressing that TT was going to be formidable competition, Arrizurieta said Trindad and Tobago has as good a chance as any but thinks Miami will better serve the interests of the FTAA. On Valley’s comments that the US was bribing countries to get their support, he said the statements were clarified adding that all that was behind them now. “That’s behind us, it makes no sense to tarnish the relationship,” he said. On Miaimi’s marketing strategy, he said, “Trinidad says that they are the natural choice, what we are saying is that we are the neutral choice.” The main thrust of his argument is that Miami is the Gateway to the Americas. That plank is also being used by Valley. Winning will reaffirm that Florida is the Gateway to the Americas, he said. “Florida is the largest trading partner the region has,” he said, adding that it was also  “sensitised to Caribbean issues” with its diversity of population, cultural melieu and trading links with Caricom. “Given the commerce that exists, the Secretariat should be located in Miami, ” he said, noting that small and medium enterprise as well as the global companies are going to have more acces when borders are lifted.     

A press statement from Florida FTAA puts it bluntly. “It is a very logical and natural choice for Miami to be the site of the FTAA headquarters,” noting that Miami already represents “a microcosm of the Latin American and Caribbean region.” Asked how many votes Miami needed to win, he said it camer down to a matter of consensus. But Miami is not the only US city in the running to host the FTAA headquarters; Atlanta is also in the running.  Arrizurieta says the White House will decide who eventually goes ahead. Atlanta is still in the race, he said. Arrizurieta, whose parents were born in Cuba and who was hand-picked by Miami Governor Jeb Bush to lead Miami’s charge, has become somewhat of a globe trotter to get Miami’s votes. Before this job, he represented the Bush administraton at the Inter American Development Bank (IADB). Since June 1, he’s been to 14 nations — Paraguay, Costa Rica, Chile, Nicaragua, Brazil, Barbados Columbia and the Dominican Republic. He will visit St Kitts and Nevis next month. He says he knows that Caricom will throw its support behind TT. Still, “nobody is willing to make a formal announcement.” As for support from the other countries he has visited, “It is just a matter of time, not yet,”  Arrizurieta said. Florida is also spending a lot of money “to get the message out,” he said. At the 8th Annual Ministerial meeting, a one-week event, Miami will spend US$13M. “Somebody’s going to win, somebody’s going to lose,” he said.