Caribbean Report 30-01-1992

Abstract

The Trinidad and Tobago government will announce their decision on the hosting of Carifesta. The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States chairman, Nicholas Brathwaite urges members to have a unified posiion on the Common External Tariff to take to the next Caricom Heads of Government meeting scheduled to take place in a month's time. Speeches are aired by Grenada's Prime Minister Nicholas Brathwaite and Chief Minister of Monsterrat, Reuben Meade in St. Lucia. There are reports that officials in Haiti are making profits from assisting the flood of refugees seeking to leave Haiti and the United Sates accuses Haitian officials of trying to embarass their administration by helping the refugees. There are also reports on the possible freezing the U.S. assets of wealthy Haitians to force them back to negotiations. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Geneva is trying to relocate some Haitian refugees in other parts of the region and UN HCR Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Leonardo Franco says his organisation is facing problems in getting Haitians to settle when they still have family connections in the U.S.

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Table of Contents

1. Headlines (00:00-00:32)
2. Report on the pending anouncement by the Trinidad and Tobago government on the decision on the immediate future of Carifesta (00:33-01:52)
3. Report on the urging by current OECS chairman Grenada's Prime Minister Nicholas Brathwaite for member countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States to have a unified position on the Common External Tariff to take to the next Caricom heads of government meeting scheduled to take place in one month (01:53-12:35)
4. Airing of speech by Prime Minister Nicholas Brathwaite at the opening of an OECS heads of gvernment meeting in St. Lucia (02:36-03:46)
5. Airing of views at the meeting by Monsterrat Chief Minister Reuben Meade (03:47-04:29)
6. Report on the profits officials in Haiti are making from the flood of refugees seeking to leave the country and the accusation of the United States that Haiti was attempting to embarras the U.S. administration by helping the refugees to leave (04:30-04:54)
7. Michael Norton reports from Port-au-Prince that while it is not politically feasible to force the refugees to leave at this time, Haitian officials are finding it profitable to turn a blind eye to the exodus. He says it was true that the army was helping these 'boat people' to leave and was levying some sort of departure tax on them (04:55-06:36)
8. Miami attorney for the Haitian refugees, Sheryl Little voices her opinion that the idea of screening in Haiti will not work (06:37-08:14)
9. Report on the most favoured plan in the U.S. of freezing the U.S. assets of wealthy Haitians to force Haiti back to the negotiating table and of the criticism faced by the U.S. administration and the OAS on the handling of the Haitian crisis (08:15-08:39)
10. Interview with Larry Birns, Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington who favours freezing U.S. assets of wealthy Haitians, as well as the cancellation of the passports of some officials (08:40-12:08)
11. Report on the attempt by United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Geneva of trying to have some Haitian refugees in other parts of the region (12:09-12:33)
12. UN HCR Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Leonardo Franco says his organisation is facing problems in getting Haitians to settle when they still have one eye on their families in the U.S. (12:34-14:20)
13. Debbie Ransome concludes report (14:21-14:44)

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