TT ON ROAD TO HOST FTAA

Last week’s announcement by this country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift that Trinidad and Tobago now has majority support for its bid to be the headquarters of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is both a recognition of Gift’s diplomatic skills and that Caricom has come of age. The country’s candidacy may have received unintended support from the United States of America through the US’ dismissive attitude with respect to the legitimate national and/or group concerns of the Region and those of several Latin American nations

The bargaining power of Caricom’s 14 votes and the region’s strength when the Commonwealth Caribbean countries stand together rather than allow themselves to be divided, and in the process dismissed as almost irrevelant, have largely been ignored by the Caricom group of nations over the years. Yet perhaps it may very well have been this dismissal of Caricom authority in its own front yard by, for example, the United States of America on the issue of Haiti along with its dismissive attitude toward Brazil and the US seeking to impose its will on Venezuela and Cuba which may have triggered the support. There is a factor, of course, which cannot be ignored and of which Foreign Affairs Minister Gift has alluded to, the issue of quid pro quo. Some of the countries would have had a candidacy interest, say, with the United Nations or the World Trade Organisation among others. “So that”, declared Gift, “the negotiations quite often involve an exchange or barter”, with the exchange or barter made on what the Caribbean Group of Nations, and not merely this country, was prepared to offer.

A crucial point made by him was that Trinidad and Tobago’s FTAA bid was a Caricom initiative with confirmed Caricom support. And to strengthen his argument he made the point that the four teams which have been lobbying support in countries external to Caricom had been approved by Caricom and their expenses shared jointly by the group. What has emerged was that it had not been simply a matter of Trinidad and Tobago or Caricom putting forward arguments, even though there was an excellent case. Rather, it had been a question of letting other countries or groups of countries know that in return for their support Caricom was prepared to guarantee its support of their candidates to international posts. Or that Caricom would support their positions on certain issues at international forums.

A united Caricom canvassing Latin America support, instead of allowing itself to be divided when the United States was sending warships to shell and invade Grenada in 1983, even though it failed to stop the Americans, would have sensitised world opinion to the arrogant contempt by the US bent on having its first military victory since World War 11. Had the respective Caricom leaders rejected outright the US request that their Governments “invite” it to invade Grenada, would the US still have continued with its charade? I answer the question which I have posed, The United States, smarting from the deaths of 212 Marines in Beirut caused by a suicide bomber, from its having to pull out of Vietnam as well as having to stop short of invading North Korea, because of Grenada’s size would still have gone ahead knowing that it would have won. But the point would have been made.

Caricom, mobilising the support of Latin America and many countries, again somewhat on a quid pro quo basis, where this was feasible, and utilising the same diplomatic skills as today may very well have seen a Caribbean person, a Barbadian, elected a few years ago to head the World Health Organisation! Trinidad and Tobago’s being able to amass the support of a comfortable majority of nations for the siting of the FTAA Secretariat runs counter to the interests of the United States. Miami and Atlanta are contenders, although, in light of Minister Gift’s statement, that is hardly the appropriate term to use, for the FTAA’s headquarters.

Despite this country’s commanding lead Government should continue to market its pluses, admittedly many. Yet even as it does this it, nonetheless, should move with dispatch to deal, effectively, with the negatives which, incidentally, are a worldwide problem. The level of the problem, internationally, however is not the issue here, but rather the domestic minuses we need to address. And these will be dealt with not merely through a larger Police Service and/or increased cells in the nation’s prisons, but in increased social programmes, more positive parenting and the nation’s ability to motivate individuals both on a State to group basis and that of individual to individual. There is much room and work here for NGO’s. The siting of the headquarters of the Free Trade Area of the Americas here will bring with it additional revenues from a to be expected growth in demand for hotel and housing accommodation, one short term, the other longer term.

In addition, there will be an expanded market for cellular and land line telephones and demand for transport, food and beverages, the holding of trade shows and a growth in trade ties and exports/imports. Several factors have been in Trinidad and Tobago’s favour, including readily available air-sea connections, and an airport which can accommodate anticipated increases in arrivals and departures; two strategically located major seaports - Port of Spain and Point Lisas; a telecommunications system in the process of being demonopolised and the country’s gaining two new networks which will provide an additional and enhanced upgrade, including (with all three) crucial security features to further ensure confidentiality of telephone calls.
A happy and safe Carnival to all readers of this column.