Caribbean Leaders Arrive in Haiti for Regional Summit

By: - February 17th, 2013

Above: Petion-Ville, Haiti (CJ Photo)

By Alexander Britell

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI — Political leaders from across the Caribbean Community have begun arriving in Haiti for the 24th Intersessional CARICOM Meeting of the Heads of Government summit that begins here tomorrow.

It is the first time Haiti, which assumed the CARICOM Chairmanship at the beginning of 2013, has hosted the meeting.

Many of the streets of Port-au-Prince have been adorned with banners marking the summit and the visiting dignitaries.

The conference is expected to see at least 11 Heads of State and more than 100 delegates.

Haiti President Michel Martelly, St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony and CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque will headline the agenda on Monday at the Karibe Convention Centre in the Petion-Ville suburb of Port-au-Prince.

The previous CARICOM summit took place in Castries, St Lucia, under the Chairmanship of Anthony.

Also this weekend, Martelly held talks with Isabelle Durant, the vice president of the European Parliament, focusing on the country’s aid to Haiti.

Martelly made an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in November, the first such speech by a sitting Haitian Head of State.

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