TT to get written support for FTAA

WITHIN weeks Trinidad and Tobago expects to receive written confirmation of support from several countries for its bid to have the headquarters of FTAA located here. Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift said this country used the Third Summit of Latin America, the European Union and Caribbean States held in Mexico, and attended by 54 Heads of State, to continue to canvass support of its goal. Gift stated however that the objective of the Summit was to reiterate commitment to regional strategic partnerships between the various regions. He said the backdrop to the conference was the UN Charter with its commitment to the principles of democracy, human development, non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states and the observance of the rule of law which should be the basis on which the new international relations were to be premised.

Among the issues on the agenda was the need for UN reform to ensure that the interest of small states was protected, he said. Noting that the question of the UN received active participation from the delegates, Gift said the examples of Afganistan and Iraq were cited to buttress the case for UN reform. He noted that in this context certain aspects of the UN charter were reiterated, namely non-intervention in affairs of state, the banning of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation of nuclear material and the possibility of it falling into the hands of those intent on disrupting democracy. The conference examined corruption in high places, the trade in illegal weapons and arms and economic development in the context of democracy, he said. The conference also facilitated bilateral meetings in which Prime Minister Patrick Manning met  the Presidents of Chile, Mexico and Venezuela and the Prime Minister of Haiti, Gift said.