Caribbean Report 13-01-2000

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1. Headlines: 00:00-00:25
2. The electorate in Anguilla are getting ready to cast their votes one year after they did so. Given the problems within Mr. Hughes cabinet, this announcement came as no surprise. Anguilla has been in a political crisis since May of last year after then Finance Minister Victor Banks resigned. The resignation came just within two months as Mr. Banks was unhappy with the leadership style of the Chief Minister. (00:26-02:40)
3. Chief Minister Hughes blames his unsuccessful legal action on a lack of advice from his Attorney-General and he is determined to appeal the court’s ruling that prompted him to call elections after less than a year in office. (02:41-03:50)
4. Dominica’s 3 recognized political parties are fielding 55 candidates in the January 31 elections. They confirmed this with electoral officials today, nominations day. Now that the candidates are officially declared, political campaigns are expected to intensify by even more as parties and supporters move into high gear for election mode. It is less than 3 weeks away (03:51-06:04).
5. Talks were held hammering out trade and aid agreement to continue in Brussels early next month between the European Union and the African Caribbean and Pacific group of countries. The major unresolved issue would be that of good governance, a clause the EU insisted on writing into the agreement (06:05-07:55).
6. A former Director of U.S. Affairs on Latin America and the Caribbean is advising closer economic and political integration within CARICOM. Robert Pastor believed this is one way of getting a better deal with the U.S. Dr. Pastor is in Grenada reflecting on U.S./Caribbean relations and what the future holds. (07:56-10:10)
7. In Port-of-Spain tomorrow, Caribbean travel agents sat and decide on a response to American Airlines’ decision to cut their commissions by a-third. They have reacted angrily, threatened to stop issuing tickets on behalf of AA. One proposal will consider is promoting BWIA and Air Jamaica on the U.S.- Puerto Rico route so that the island can continue to act as a hub for passengers from the U.S. (10:11-12:45)
8. Miami’s Haitian community has hailed a decision by the U.S. Attorney General to grant 2 Haitian children humanitarian parole. This allows the 2 to leave Haiti and arrive in the U.S. to reside with their mother for 3 months while her political asylum claim is being decided. The children survived a 4 day ocean crossing from Haiti to Miami in an over-loaded fishing boat with 400 other persons. (12:46-15:52)
9. The U.S. was surprised that Venezuela has decided not to allow further troops into their country to assist with their recovery programme following flooding. (14:53-15:26)

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