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PM Heads to ‘Dom Rep’ Monday

January 17, 2010

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Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding will travel to the Dominican Republic Monday, January 18 for a meeting to discuss assistance and co-ordination of efforts for earthquake devastated, Haiti, at the invitation of President Leonel Fernandez.
The meeting is being convened by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, in his capacity as Chairman of the European Union (EU), and will also discuss medium and long-term plans for Haiti’s reconstruction.
Monday’s meeting in the ‘Dom Rep’ capital, Santo Domingo, will be attended by senior officials of the US State Department, representatives of the European Union, the United Nations and Caricom. The Caricom team will include Chairman, Prime Minister of Dominica, the Hon Roosevelt Skerrit, Secretary General, Edwin Carrington, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Hon Patrick Manning. Mr. Golding will return home Monday evening.
In discussions with Prime Minister Golding on Saturday, January 16, during a brief stopover at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, noted that CARICOM will have to play a critical role in Haiti’s post-earthquake recovery.
She said that Jamaica, being the hub of CARICOM’s -Haiti earthquake relief and recovery efforts, would be central to its success.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s programme of assistance to Haiti has been stepped up, with the scheduled departure, on Sunday, of a Canadian aircraft transporting equipment needed by Digicel to get its communication network back up in Port-au-Prince. This is one of the major problems facing the Haitian Government, in terms of co-ordinating its relief efforts.
Following his meeting with the US Secretary of State, Prime Minister Golding held brief talks with the Canadian High Commissioner, His Excellency Stephen Hallihan, JDF Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Stewart Saunders and members of the technical team, who were busy packing technical equipment in the aircraft for departure Sunday.
Other ongoing relief assistance being offered by Jamaica include: airlift services for Jamaicans out of Haiti; use of the airports to help relieve the congestion being experienced at the Port-au-Prince airport; waiving navigation and landing fees to all humanitarian aid; provision of re-fuelling facilities; use of the Reynolds Pier in Ocho Rios for vessels to re-stock water; and the establishment of a base camp in Haiti, from which all Caricom donations and aid staff are being dispatched.

Last Updated: August 19, 2013

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