Manning: Gift talks fishing tonight

FOREIGN AFFAIRS Minister Knowlson Gift will address the nation tonight on the steps that Government is taking to resolve the fishing dispute between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. Prime Minister Patrick Manning made this disclosure to reporters following a two-hour special Cabinet meeting at Whitehall yesterday to discuss the TT-Barbados fishing dispute.

“The Foreign Affairs Minister will address the country on the matter very shortly. Probably tomorrow night (tonight),” Manning said. The Prime Minister declined to comment on Barbadian PM Owen Arthur’s declaration that the 1990 TT/Venezuela Maritime Delimitation Treaty was not relevant to Barbados or the composition of the TT delegation that will conduct fishing negotiations in Barbados on February 25 and 26. Government sources however said Gift and Trade Minister Ken Valley were certain to be part of TT’s negotiating team. Sources also indicated that Attorney General John Jeremie may be included in the TT delegation for next week’s talks.

Prime Ministers Manning and Arthur held private talks in Barbados on Monday. Sources said the TT delegation at that meeting (Manning, Gift and Valley) sought assurances about threats from Arthur to license local products. They said the Barbadian PM advised that the licensing regime he was introducing was an exploratory and monitoring exercise which was totally unrelated to the fishing dispute between the two nations or any possible trade sanctions against TT. Last week, Manning said quiet diplomacy was required to calm troubled waters between TT and Barbados and unilateral repudiation of the 1990 TT/Venezuela treaty could lead to a major diplomatic fallout with Venezuela and other Latin American nations. All Government ministers emerging from yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, except Public Administration and Information Minister Dr Lenny Saith, declined to say how the meeting went. “Very well,” Saith told reporters.  Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday said Arthur was trying to bully TT and the Government should not stand for it.