Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will undertake her first overseas trip for the year tomorrow when she attends the Caricom intersessional meeting in Grenada. The meeting is an annual event held in preparation for the annual Caricom summit which normally takes place in the first week of July. Preliminary Intersessional sessions began yesterday and the official agenda to be dealt with by leaders will take place between tomorrow and Saturday. Venue is the Gran Anse Hotel.
Cabinet today will be informed of the person who will act as Prime Minister in her absence. So far those who have acted as PM are UNC chairman Jack Warner, COP leader Winston Dookeran, MSJ leader Errol Mc Leod and TOP MP Vernella Alleyene-Toppin. Warner has acted more than once. Expected to accompany the Prime Minister is Foreign Affairs Minister Suruj Rambachan, the ministry's director of Caricom and technical staff.
Rambachan, who left for the meeting last night, said the agenda issues included the establishment of a council of ambassadors for Caricom to implement decisions taken by leaders. T&T, which heads the security committee, also will report on various matters. Regional reports recently indicated that leaders may discuss the withdrawal of a Royal Navy vessel from the southern Caribbean and how that could affect regional security. Leaders also are expected to discuss a budget for Caricom, Rambachan said.
Still to be finalised is a new Caricom secretary general following the retirement of Edwin Carrington. (GA)
