Caribbean Report 13-01-1994

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1. Headlines with Carol Orr (00:00-00:27)
2. The Prime Minister of Dominica, Dame Eugenia Charles is outraged because of the European Commission’s failure to police the new banana regime. She blames that failure on the dramatic drop in prices paid to Caribbean farmers in the past year. As such, she is seeking price support from the European Economic Commission. If the islands do not receive economic support, the Dominica Prime Minister fears it would mean the end of the Windward Islands and Dominica (00:28 – 03:07)
3. Labour MP, Max Madden has accused the British government of exercising brutal state powers amid continuing anger over the detention of Jamaican passengers abroad a chartered flight four days before Christmas. The report features excerpts of Madden’s presentation in parliament where he highlights the case of a pregnant Jamaican woman married to a British citizen, who was kept waiting for 12 hours. The woman had been issued with a visa entitling her to settlement in the United Kingdom. He argues that normally such a visa would normally have meant admittance in mater of minutes. Madden asked the Home secretary to account for this exercise of ‘brutal state power.’ Leader of the British House of Commons Tony Newton responded to Madden on behalf of the government (3:08-4:53)
4. Exiled President Jean Bertrand Aristide has organized the Miami Conference on Haiti. There are many opinions about the upcoming conference. Although it has not been confirmed, it is expected that one of Clinton’s closest advisors would attend. Aristide hopes that at the end of the conference he would have a strategy to get his country back on its feet. This segment features an interview with David Diggs of Beyond Borders, a Philadelphia based group who hopes that one of the outcomes of the conference is to see democracy restored in Haiti (4:54- 8:32)
5. Canada’s trade relationship with Cuba which spans over 30 years. A trade delegation from Nova Scotia Canada has just wrapped up a ten-day visit to Cuba. John Savage, the province’s premier indicated there were a number of trade opportunities available in Cuba. Similarly, Cuba is also negotiating to purchase of Nova Scotia lumbar, wood pulp and coal. However, the United States has refused to remove the embargo against Cuba and will in fact prosecute countries that do so as outlined in the Torricelli bill. Mark Entwistle, the Canadian Ambassador in Cuba, is interviewed and talks about the embargo as it pertains to Canada’s trade relationship with Cuba (8:33-11:13)
6. The Guyanese government has received strong criticism for accepting money from Asian investors to partially finance a trip of the President to visit the Eastern European countries. President Jagan has denied any improprieties in accepting US468,000 from accepting money from investors of the Barama logging company. The government claims that the money would in no way affect the deals which are under negotiation with the lumber company. The opposition claims that the President’s action is inappropriate. Human rights group and Amerindians also voice concerns. (11:14-14:11)
7. Opening statements have been made in the trial of 11 members of the Branch Dravidian sect who face charges of conspiracy in the death of four federal agents. Twenty-five (25) members of the sect who perished in the fire, which consumed the Branch Davidian compound at the end of the siege, were of Caribbean origin (14:12-14:41)
8. Programme outro (14:42-14:55)

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