Caribbean leaders urge world to focus on peace and rebuild Iraq now

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent: Hurt by a tourism slump that began after Sept 11 and dragged on through the recent US-led war with Iraq, Caribbean leaders wrapped up a two-day summit pleading with the world to focus on peace and urging Cuba to exercise caution in the human rights arena.

The 15-member Caribbean Commu-nity, otherwise known as Caricom, concluded its meeting of foreign ministers on Friday in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Issues discussed were the future of Iraq, the new role of the United Nations, regional trade, Cuba and the Caribbean’s long-awaited Caribbean Court of Justice. Leaders said the new court should be ready to handle cases ranging from civil disputes to murder in November. The court will replace Britain’s Privy Council as the final appeals court for many former British colonies.

Confronted with high crime, Caribbean nations have been frustrated with the Privy Council’s long-standing pattern of overturning death sentences in appeals. The new court will be able to uphold death sentences. The process of establishing the Trinidad-based court is “well-advanced,” said Secretary General Edwin Carrington of the Guyana-based Caribbean Community who said it would likely be inaugurated in November.

Some human rights groups have criticised the court as a “hanging court.” But Caribbean leaders have defended it, saying the British Council should no longer hold sway over proceedings in independent countries. The court will have jurisdiction in most of the community’s member states. Besides crime, Caribbean nations have been challenged by a tourism slump spurred by fears of travelling after the September 11 terror attacks and cemented by uncertainty in the lead-up to the US-led war with Iraq.

Ministers at the summit said it was time to rebuild Iraq and emphasised the “urgent” need to heal the rifts in international relations triggered by the Iraq crisis. Leaders also called upon all nations to rely on the power of diplomacy to reconcile differences without “rancour or retribution,” according to a Caricom statement issued Friday. The ministers also urged Cuba to exercise greater caution in human rights. Leaders met for three hours on Thursday with a Cuban delegation led by Trade Minister Ricardo Cabrisas. On April 11, Cuba executed three men convicted of terrorism after they tried to commandeer a ferry with passengers to the United States. Cuba also faces criticism for sending 75 dissidents to prison on charges of collaborating with US diplomats to destabilise the socialist government.

Cuba, which doesn’t belong to the Caribbean Community, has defended the measures as necessary to halt a brewing migration crisis and counter subversive activities by the US government and Cuban exiles. Despite their concern over the severity of the recent punishments, Caribbean leaders said for Cuba to change, dialogue had to remain open. Foreign ministers also discussed how to proceed with negotiations to join the 34-nation Free Trade Area of the Americas, which is to take effect in 2005. Some suggested the deadline be pushed back to allow countries to benefit.