Gift: TT ready to host next summit meeting

On Wednesday, Gift, who returned from attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta, and the Summit of the Americas meeting in Argentina, was giving the media an update of those meetings at his office at Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain.

According to Gift, at the end of the meeting in Argentina, both Trinidad and Tobago and Colombia offered to host the next summit. The optimistic minister added that "all things being considered," this country would be selected.

He said everything would be in place for the FTAA to be functional by 2009, and he suggested that the summit be renamed the FTAA Summit of the Americas.

He said while this was a massive undertaking, he believed that with the assistance of the national community, it could be achieved.

"This is not a PNM or a UNC effort," the minister added. Gift said while the summit was successful, there was a bit of a disappointment when three or four of the 34 countries representing the western hemisphere felt they were not ready to move ahead with the establishment of the FTAA.

However, Gift said, Caricom countries took a united stand for the FTAA to be "in motion" by the deadline. The minister also said Port-of-Spain remains Caricom’s preferred choice for the FTAA headquarters.

Regarding the CHOG meeting, Gift said it was decided by Caricom countries that the development focus on trade must be the overriding issue at the upcoming negotiations of the World Trade Organisation (WHO) in Hong Kong. He said the Caribbean delegation was a strong one and if (the delegation) believed that at the end of the conference, the Caribbean’s position would be viewed as sustainable and worthy of consideration.

Also attending yesterday’s press conference were first-time Foreign Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary (PS) Lester Efebo Wilkinson and Deputy PS Melba Dedier.