PM in Petrocaribe Talks Underway in Cuba

Prime Minister Bruce Golding along with representatives of the Jamaica delegation, are now in a working session at the Fourth PetroCaribe Summit underway in Cuba. Heads of Government from Venezuela and the Caribbean were greeted by Head of the Cuban Delegation Raul Castro who delivered the opening address.
In his address, Mr. Castro said the meeting comes at a crucial time when oil prices have broken every record and created a complex situation for most oil importing countries of the developing world. He said member countries of PetroCaribe are in a privileged position as they enjoy the benefits of a mechanism that gives them preferential access at fair prices to energy resources that guarantee their daily lives and prospective development of the people of the region.
Mr. Castro said PetroCaribe was more than a fair solution to the serious energy problem facing small countries which lack hydrocarbon resources of their own. He added that the agreement was a decisive step in the path towards a future development of all integration and cooperation efforts in the region.
He said the growing consumerism in industrialized nations has had and will continue to have a devastating impact on the planet if it is not arrested. He said projects like PetroCaribe have become all the more relevant because they are designed and operate in a manner that ensures energy safety of all its members while promoting sustainable development.
He pointed to a number of energy-saving initiatives implemented by Cuba including the expansion of its generating capacity by recycling burnt petroleum gas. Cuba also continues to work in the development of renewable sources of energy, namely wind, biomass, hydro and solar energy. The summit ends later today with opening of the Camilo Cienfuegos Refinery.