St. Lucia Committed to Regional Integration

St Lucia committed to regional integration says Acting PM
Published on Wednesday, July 4, 2007

By Gordon French

Caribbean Net News Guyana Correspondent

Email: gordon@caribbeannetnews.com

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Acting Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Stephenson King says, his country’s commitment to the ideals of regionalism and to the deepening of the integration process of CARICOM will increase.

Acting Prime Minister of St Lucia Stephenson King speaking at the official Opening Ceremony of the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Barbados on Sunday, King said the change of Government in Saint Lucia last December did not change the country’s “posture in relation to the Caribbean Community”.

King who is deputising for Sir John Compton, who is ailing, cautioned the Community not to be complacent in the face of the relatively trouble-free operation of the CARICOM Single Market since its inception in January 2006 and urged that careful monitoring of the implementation process be continued. He further noted that the Government of Saint. Lucia continued to sensitise the populace about the workings of the CARICOM Single Market and Econmy (CSME), and the benefits that were likely to be derived from its implementation.

“It is our belief that there is no such thing as too much information. Indeed, we have held the view that while some valuable work has been done in the Region to sensitise our people about this important matter, there is still a significant “information void” remaining to be filled,” King asserted.

The Saint Lucia acting Prime Minister expressed the hope that the Development Fund, as well as the provisions of the Special Regime for Less Developed Countries under Article 158 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, will be in operation quickly.

The Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community is being convened under the umbrella theme of functional cooperation, with special emphasis on critical areas of human and social development, such as education and health.