Senior Political Reporter
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said at least one buyer has expressed interest in the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery and will be coming to see its data room in the next week or two.
Speaking at a media briefing at the VIP Lounge, Piarco Airport, shortly after his return from Guyana yesterday, Rowley said the Government has been keeping the issue of the refinery out front as “one of the things we do when we go to these big gatherings where a lot of people are, who are in the business.”
He said the refinery was taken out of operation because of an inadequate local oil supply and purchasing oil was “a big money loser”.
“We always hold it out in the hope that someone with access to oil or wants to get into the refining business, predicated on an oil supply they may have, that those discussions are always with us.
“And we did have some of it in Georgetown. There’s one party having heard us that has gone off to put things in place to come and look at the refinery’s data room at Pointe a Pierre,” he said.
Rowley said anyone interested would find all the information they need in the data room.
“So having heard us, we have at least one interested party who’s indicated an interest in going to the data room sometime in the next week or two,” he said.
He added that if they think there are opportunities to talk further, they will.
“We still think the refinery is valuable. It’s available for us but it requires a sustained supply of crude oil.”
CSME law for all
Caricom parliaments
Rowley said Caricom leaders had agreed that by the end of March, regional attorneys general should conclude work on the law for the free movement of people under the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) and all Parliaments in Caricom will meet on the same day to pass it.
Quoting Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley he said, “It has now been accepted by Caricom heads that the progress we want to make and could make on the desired CSME will not be had without a greater involvement and success in the area of freedom of movement,” he said.
Removal of internal tariff barriers in Caricom could be added to that, he suggested.
Rowley said those who attended Caricom’s 50th-anniversary celebrations must now consider whether they are prepared to do what has to be done “or continue to vacillate, pussyfoot and kick the can down the road hoping we’re not called upon to pick it up”.
He wondered whether Caricom was prepared to do what Dominica proposed so that by the end of March, all states should ensure their AGs conclude the exercises required to ensure freedom of movement under Caricom’s conditions with a certain amount of the rights and privileges in the Treaty of Chaguaramas operationalised.
In addition, he wondered if a time-frame would be accepted for full freedom of movement with access to all rights and privileges for all Caricom citizens.
Rowley said the regional leaders had agreed that enough work has been done, so a meeting will be held between all AGs to finalise it.
“On one very special date to be announced, all the Caricom governments, having accepted the legal work to bring about this improved access of movement and the commitment to move forward to a date where these barriers will be removed, all Caricom governments will go to their Parliaments on the same day and pass the necessary legislation to bring this about,” he added.
He said most of the laws needed for the various Caricom matters can be done with Government majority votes, but some will require more than that. He said the situation requires all 41 MPs in T&T to understand that “this is not politics to win seats but this is whether we survive as a Caricom nation”.
Rowley also reiterated Caricom’s position on Haiti.