BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, FEBRUARY 23RD 2010 (CUOPM) – St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has been in discussions on a number of topics during the Mexico-CARICOM Summit. Discussions were held on issues relating to the common challenges of both Mexico and the Caribbean Community. Following opening statements from President Calderon, Prime Minister of Dominica and current Caribbean Community Chairman, Hon Roosevelt Skerrit, and the President of Haiti, Rene Preval, the first matter on the agenda was the crisis in Haiti. The Draft Declaration that was originally distributed to delegates was updated to include the commitment of Mexico and the members of the Caribbean Community to find an urgent solution to combat what President Preval outlined as the most urgent need of the people of Haiti. This matter relates to finding shelter within the shortest time possible to be able to house the over one million people who have been left homeless and who are currently exposed to the constant and heavy rains in Haiti. It was therefore decided that both through contributions of member states attending the Mexico-CARICOM Summit and the Unity Summit that some 200,000 tents would be purchased to help shelter that 1 million plus unsheltered Haitians. Other topics discussed were Trade and Development especially in Services, issues relating to Transport, Tourism, Tax Cooperation, and Linkages with the Caribbean By Mexico, Energy Security and Climate change and Crime and Security. Members of the Rio Group met in Cancun, which also saw the second summit of Latin America and the Caribbean. Foreign ministers drafted a proposal over the weekend for the creation of a bloc of the Americas without the United States and Canada. At the current summit, however, leaders were only expected to make a formal decision about the creation of the new organization. A taskforce was expected to be created to work on the details, with a view to actually launching it at the next regional summit, in July 2011 in Venezuela. Calderon said such a new institution would allow Latin America and the Caribbean to project themselves at the global level “with renewed vitality.” Integration, he said, is ‘the most powerful means to reach higher levels of growth and development.”
