News: US Frantic to Save Face at CARICOM

(PL 22/03/2006) Nassau - US Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice is attending the CARICOM meeting of Foreign Ministers and will meet the Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie.

Thomas Shannon, US Undersecretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, called this first meeting between a US official and the CARICOM an effort to restore bilateral economic and diplomatic ties.

Rice´s pell-mell agenda includes exploring ways for the US to boost regional democracy, improving economies, reinforcing security and looking for ways to cope with the frequent natural disasters that hit the area.

The Bush underling will also try to somehow smooth over frictions with Caribbean leaders that consider the US a partner in the Feb 2004 coup against Haiti´s ex President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

After the Feb 2006 general elections, the CARICOM decided to reinstate Haiti whose delegation to the July Summit will be led by Rene Preval, to take office in April.