MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (AP):
OCEANS AWAY from the United States-led strike on Iraq, Caribbean countries yesterday were to begin mapping out ways to deal with the economic impact of the war in the Middle East.
During the two-day conference in Montego Bay, leaders from the 15-member Caribbean Community would also be focusing on the result of rising oil prices since the start of the U.S.-led war on Iraq 15 days ago, Jamaica's Foreign Ministry said.
Delegations arriving in Montego Bay yesterday "are expected to work late into the night," said Huntley Medley, spokesman for Jamaica's Prime Minister P.J. Patterson. He did not give details on the format or agenda of the meetings.
The conference is being attended by Mr. Patterson as well as Dominica's Prime Minister Pierre Charles, Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo and officials from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.
Antigua's Prime Minister was absent, however, after saying he did not feel the Caribbean Community had the authority to make a collective statement about the region's position. It was unclear if such a statement was planned.
"I don't think that the Caribbean has anything to gain by being strident about this matter," Bird said in Antigua on Friday. "Let's state our (own) position."
Bird's comments came after U.S. envoy Otto Reich last week warned Caribbean countries to keep their criticism of the war to themselves, saying the United States expected more support from its friends.
Many Caribbean countries have criticised the United States for attacking Iraq without United Nations approval, and said the war will hinder their recovery from a steep drop in visitors to the region following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Reich, presidential envoy for the Western Hemisphere, warned during his one-day visit to Barbados that such criticism would make it hard to secure U.S. congressional support for programmes benefiting Caribbean governments.
Nevertheless, regional officials said there were enough practical issues tied to the war that necessitated the weekend summit in Montego Bay.
Leaders will evaluate "the preparedness of national economies to deal with the impact of the war, and (consider) possible responses," Medley said without elaborating.
In Jamaica, travel reservations have dropped by nearly 40 per cent since the war began, prompting the national airline, Air Jamaica, to reduce flights and reshuffle staff.
