Caribbean Report 14-02-1995

Abstract

This reports looks at Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur’s hopes to press for a regional approach to NAFTA membership when CARICOM meets in Belize. Mr. Arthur also expresses his views on the proposed union of Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (the Manning Initiative). The Caribbean Rights Network and Amnesty International have condemned the hanging of three convicted murderers in St. Vincent. In Haiti, there are concerns over a bureaucratic blunder by the US which permitted Emmanuel Constant, the leader of a Haitian paramilitary group FRAPH, to enter the US where he has since disappeared. After an open letter was sent to the President of Guyana, Caribbean Report spoke to the people on the streets of Georgetown to get their views on the state of race relations in Guyana. President Cheddi Jagan also gave his view about the issue. European Union member countries met in Brussels to try and resolve deep differences over the amount of aid to be given to ACP countries over the next five years. St. Kitts Opposition Leader Denzil Douglas gives his reaction to Leslie Harper's decision to decline the post of St. Kitts new Police Commissioner. The Cuban film entitled 'Strawberry and Chocolate', which deals with the issue of homosexuality in a Communist state, has been nominated for an Oscar.