Cricket, air transport, crime, security high on agenda as
28th Caricom Heads of Government Conference opens
By Mark Ramotar
HEADS of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will rehash, during their upcoming meeting in Barbados, some of the major issues discussed at last week’s highly successful and unique Conference on the Caribbean held in Washington, DC.

Secretary General of Caricom Dr. Edwin Carrington, speaking from Barbados to journalists from regional member states via video-conferencing, said the Washington conference was “excellent”, but feels its success can only be judged by the follow-up on the range of issues on which Caribbean leaders engaged the United States administration and other development partners.

He said the regional Heads will be looking closely at the area of speedy implementation of these initiatives and crucial issues that were discussed at the Washington conference.

According to him, the Regional leaders were “brilliant” during their meetings and interactions with President George W. Bush and the US Congress, and seized the opportunity to discuss a number of issues of interest and concern to the region, and in forging stronger ties and linkages between the region and the US.

As such, Carrington said the outcome and follow-ups on this historic conference is expected to be affront-burner issue at the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM to be held at the Hilton Barbados Hotel in St Michael, Barbados from 1 - 4 July.

The sore issue surrounding the state of West Indies cricket is another issue Carrington said cannot be kept off the agenda at the upcoming meeting.

He said a report on the recent mega Cricket World Cup (CWC) event in the Caribbean will be presented to the Heads who will also be discussing the future of West Indies cricket.

Air transport and the escalating cost of air transport in the region will also be discussed, Carrington said, while acknowledging that “without transportation there is no (Caribbean) community”.

Solutions, he said, will have to be found on at least some aspects of the air transport situation in the region during the meeting.

Other issues on the agenda include crime and security, the free movement of skills among Caricom nationals within the region, human development, health, education and especially the burning issue of agriculture.

Carrington also said the border issue between Guyana and Suriname is expected to come up at the meeting.

“We are coming out of a very busy first-half (of year 2007) and as all of us are aware, a number of activities including Cricket World Cup and the Conference of the Caribbean took up a significant amount of time… (and) the second half of the year promises to be no less hectic,” Carrington said.

“Sugar is secure!”
- Persaud hails progress at Skeldon, warns against problems
By Neil Marks
WITH electricity generation from the Skeldon sugar factory set to commence by year-end, Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud yesterday hailed progress in the construction of the Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Plant (SSMP), but warned against problems such as loss of production and absenteeism.

“Sugar is secure,” he told sugar workers and their families gathered at the Skeldon Community Centre for an annual function to honour workers of the four Berbice estates. However, he called for workers and management to work together to achieve the goal of tripling production at Skeldon when the more than new US$180M factory is completed

Persaud said the SSMP has been designed as a co-generation factory capable of supplying 10 MW of electrical power to the national grid. If it were to be used in the Berbice region, this would double the county’s need.

He said the first connection to the grid is in progress and the first export of diesel generated power is due later this year. This will be a 13.8 KV supply of up to six megawatts to Upper Corentyne.

When the eventual 35 per cent cut in the price for sugar is effected by the European Union in 2010, Guyana will lose $7B annually in revenues from sugar, but with the Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Plant (SSMP), Persaud said the industry would be secure. He said Guyana is the only country in the Caribbean prepared to mitigate the drastic European price cuts.

“No worker will be left behind, and no estate will be closed (due to modernization)” Persaud told sugar workers and their families.

When the factory is completed, it will have the capacity of producing 116, 000 tonnes of raw sugar annually.

Persaud said 1.1 million tonnes of sugar cane which will be required to make the SSMP sustainable represents three times the current production of the Skeldon estate. He said the additional cane will be produced from about 4, 7000 hectares of new estate lands in Manaribisi and about 4, 200 hectares of new farmers’ lands, both next to the estate and at Moleson Creek.

He said the estate area will be almost doubled and the farmers’ area more than 10 times greater than at present .

To expand to such a scale, Minister Persaud said it has been necessary to consider the water management of the whole area. He said in the dry weather, it is not possible for Skeldon estate to draw more water from the Canje that it is now doing.

To meet the increased demand for water, storage is necessary and this will be achieved by raising dams around the natural conservancy.

However, while pointing to a bright future ahead for sugar, Mr Persaud did not hide the failings he now sees.

Persaud said management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation is obligated to keep open the doors of discussions and negotiations in solving issues affecting workers and hereby alleviating the high increase in strikes and absenteeism.

“When we strike or absent ourselves during good sunny weather, we run the risk of producing the same acreage of cane allright, but the quality may not be the same, in that sucrose level in canes tends to drop during rainy periods,” he noted.

Persaud said the 3, 400 cane cutters will be required to meet the needs of the new Skeldon estate, but just about 550 of the 950 the Corporation has on its roll turn out currently.

He said actual grinding of the East Berbice estate have been falling from 122 hours per week to as low as 93 hours per week.

He said if the poor attendance and loss of production continues as at the last crop’s level, the sugar corporation would be unable to service markets on time and hence lose revenue.

However, despite these constraints, he congratulated management and staff for surpassing the 100, 000 tonnes target for the last crop.

Fisherfolk urged to heighten cooperation to address issues in sector
Guyana on Friday today joined the world to observe Fishermen’s Day 2007 and all stakeholders were called upon to heighten their cooperation in order that the main challenges facing the sector could be addressed collaboratively.

To mark the occasion, a National Forum on Fisheries was held at Berbice State House, New Amsterdam, Region Six under the theme “Fishing Rights- Making the Industry Safer.” Various stakeholders and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Coastguard and the Guyana Police Force were present at the event.

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, delivering the feature address, said Government recognises the importance of security to fishermen and the viability of the industry, thus the forum focused on security. He highlighted the critical role of fishermen’s support to combat piracy and hijacking.

He noted that while ‘Fishermen's Day’ is celebrated under the theme "Fishing Rights," there is also need for focus on the responsibilities of fishermen to conduct harvesting in a sustainable manner. This may be done by ensuring the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) where necessary, or the right size of seine and hook.

“In order to safeguard your rights, we must take the necessary steps to achieve sustainable catches and prevent over-exploitation of our resources,” Minister Persaud said.

He noted that Guyana has an estimated area of 138,240 square kilometers of maritime space and there are other fishery resources that have not been utilized, including the coastal pelagic and large pelagic - tuna, dolphin, wahoos and king mackerel.

“Revenues from the resources in the deep sea can be tripled if utilized in a proper manner, since the products from these resources are high priced and in much demand. The Government has received a number of local and foreign applications to harvest these resources,” the Minister told the gathering.

He pointed out that several regulations will be put in place before any harvesting is allowed and will be in accordance with international fisheries conventions.

Lieutenant Commander, Coastguard, Trevor Blenman, who spoke about security in the fisheries sector, said there is greater need for cooperation of fisherfolks, especially to provide necessary information that can be used to apprehend pirates. He noted that many times reports are made about incidents of piracy, but limited information is provided and this prohibits the Coastguard from going after the pirates.

He pointed out the importance of security to sustainability and further advancement of the sector and assured of the Coastguard’s commitment to effect the necessary actions that will address piracy and hijackings.  Reports show five incidents of hijacking over the period January to June 2007, during which nine crews were affected as compared to eight incidents of piracy involving 19 crews during the corresponding period.

Commander of B Division, Clinton Conway, also highlighted the need for cooperation of fishermen in providing necessary information to address piracy. He noted that his division has been collaborating with others to address piracy and there have been some successes. Earlier this year, several suspected pirates were charged after a raid at Hogg Island on the Essequibo River. The Commander further stated that efforts are being made to enhance marine capacity to tackle piracy, and urged that fishermen ensure licensing and registering of their vessels as early as possible.

Principal Fisheries Officer (ag) Dawn Maison and Regional Chairman of Region Six Zulficar Mustapha also delivered remarks at the forum, during which they highlighted the importance of the fisheries sector to the national economy.

Representatives of the Maritime Administration, the Guyana Trawlers Owners and Sea Food Processors of Guyana and the various Coops of Regions Four and Six were among those who delivered brief remarks at the event.

Government has been initiating various policies and programmes as part of its focus on sustainable development of the fisheries resources. In this regard, the Ministry of Agriculture and the fishing community have been collaborating to expand the current initiatives. The Fisheries Advisory Committee (F AC) was reactivated and is working to improve the quality of service by the fisheries.

The Ministry has completed a five-year Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) that includes a specific plan for each sub-sector, and is aiming to implement this shortly. 

Efforts to support further expansion of the aquaculture sector include continued research, training of farmers and production of fingerlings at the Fresh Water Aquaculture Station, Mon Repos, and plans in train to construct a fingerling hatchery at Mon Repos.

The National Aquaculture Association of Guyana (NAGG) continues to be supported significantly while the draft Aquaculture Bill is being reviewed for presentation to the National Assembly.

Following the forum, Minister Persaud presented a boat and a 75hp motor engine to the Fishermen Coop Society of Number 66 Village, Corentyne Coast. The boat will be used by the Coastguard.

The Ministry has invested close to $3M to construct two boats and engines for Co-ops in Berbice and Essequibo.  This is part of the administration’s efforts to address piracy.

CARICOM/US trade arrangement to be extended
Head of State President Bharrat Jagdeo is pleased with the commitment of his US counterpart George Bush and the Congressional Ways and Means Committee to extend and update the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act and with the extension and modernising of the 1991 trade and investment framework agreement.

“These were things we had argued for because of the challenges by Uruguay and China … with the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Through these two agreements some of our goods entered the United States of America on preferential terms and these would have expired sometime next year, so it would have left many of our producers without market access on a preferential basis,” the President told the media Friday at a post Conference on the Caribbean briefing.

The existing trading arrangements with the US, embodied in the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, amended in 1990 from the original Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), are in a "state of limbo" because of opposition by Paraguay on the CBI at the WTO.

The Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, instituted in 2000, extends "greater benefit" than the CBI; but, not all Caribbean countries have reaped dividends.

President Bush also pledged to address the "existing deficiencies" in the Caribbean Basin Trade Promotion Act.

A communiqué, signed by Bush and CARICOM Heads after the summit said they were "determined to strengthen" their existing trade arrangements.

The trade programmes, known collectively as the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), remain a vital element in the United States’ economic relations with its neighbours in Central America and the Caribbean.

The CBI is intended to facilitate the economic development and export diversification of the Caribbean Basin economies. Initially launched in 1983 through the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), and substantially expanded in 2000 through the U.S.- Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), the CBI currently provides 24 beneficiary countries with preferential access to the US markets for most goods.

CBTPA came into force on October 1, 2000, and continues in effect until September 30, 2008, or the date, if sooner, on which the FTAA or another free trade agreement as described in legislation enters into force between the United States and a CBTPA beneficiary country.

Currently, 24 countries benefit from the CBI programme and therefore may potentially benefit from CBTPA.

These include Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

THE PARTNERSHIP FOR AGRICULTURE
IT WILL be one month tomorrow since the international donors conference organised by the Caribbean Community took place in Port-of-Spain.

From all accounts, it highlighted an encouraging display of genuine commitment by CARICOM to vigorously pursue with its envisaged modernisation and expansion of the region's vital agricultural sector. Practical partnership support from traditional "donor friends" of the region is key to achieving success.

While for many CARICOM member states tourism and, to a lesser exent, the service sector have long been major pillars of their economies, for others---Guyana being perhaps the leading one, but also including Jamaica, Belize,  and a number of OECS countries---agriculture remains both a significant source of employment and foreign exchange earnings.

The presence and active participation in the donors conference in Port-of-Spain of President Bharrat Jagdeo, who has lead responsibility for transformation of Caribbean agriculture, and Prime Minister Patrick Manning seem to have made quite a positive impact.

The event received also a good boost from Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, Jacques Diouf. He had set the tone in his own address for engaging exchanges and exposition.

The technical expertise provided by the CARICOM Secretariat ensured good insight into the critical needs and persistent bottlenecks that underlie the very daunting task of achieving a significant reduction in the region's estimated US$3 Billion food imports bill, as well on related challenges for food security and building sustainable rural communities.

Although not intended to be a strictly "pledging conference", there was, nevertheless, available for consideration and reflection by representatives of donor governments and agencies approximately 25 regional projects and 40 national project profiles from 14 CARICOM countries involving an expenditure of US$300 million.

These regional/national projects are situated within a framework to address the infrastructure, policy, regulatory and research needs by which a new diversified and competitive agriculture sector could contribute to food security, increased employment, and generate more foreign exchange to better enable the emerging CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Among the range of donor partners that revealed a more encouraging response to what CARICOM is seeking, overall, to achieve, the Government of Italy clearly stood out by being quite forthcoming with a specific pledge of two million Euros to enable upscaling of the current Regional Special Programme on Food Security. This programme is being implemented in collaboration with the FAO and the CARIFORUM Group (CARICOM plus Dominican Republic).

Generally speaking, donor participants appeared sympathetic to the the efforts being pursued for the transformation of Caribbean agriculture. But disappointment was also in evidence at the lack of forthrightness in exchanges of ideas on one hand and the level of commitments on the other, considering that representatives would have arrived reasonably well-briefed. The dialogue must differently continue.

Nevertheless, the challenge for CARICOM, its Secretariat being a vital component, is to build on the momentum of the donors conference and methodically proceed to craft, as a matter of priority, the necessary Plan of Action for further engagement with the donor governments and institutions that share the needs and aspirations of the Caribbean.

It is to be expected that coming out of this week's 28th CARICOM Summit in Barbados, there would be some indication of how the Community's governments plan on follow-up actions on the Port-of-Spain Donors Conference.

Caribbean stood tall in Washington:
by Linda Hutchinson-Jafar
The Caribbean may have walked away empty-handed from their recent sojourn to Washington, but to my mind, they returned home with something far more valuable - and maybe not even recognizable by many of them.

I honestly don't think any of the Caribbean leaders went to Washington with pre-conceived notions of expecting anything immediately to be handed to them - and I'm sure a lot more maybe are not banking on getting an iota from the United States, given their pre-occupation, fighting their battles in the Middle-East and their war of words with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.

What was indeed important about the visit to Washington, in my view, was letting the US administration know that the Caribbean is not relaxing on its laurels, but has been bravely forging ahead, with their pride held high against the odds as their countries continue to struggle economically, socially with high crime rates, unemployment and major health issues.

They face numerous challenges as small, vulnerable states adapting to globalisation and a world free from trade barriers and protectionist policies, and facing marginalisation by free trade agreements between powerful nations which do not include them.

Yet, the Caribbean did not go with their hats in hand to beg; they did not cower and use nice words to describe the problems they were going through, and they did not shy away from criticising the U.S on a number of fronts.

I think the Trinidadian prime minister Patrick Manning nailed it on the head when he said Caribbean leaders did not go to the meeting with U.S President George W. Bush to make any demands.

Instead, they wanted to share certain issues and concerns the Caribbean was facing.

"In outlining the case, what we sought to do was not to specifically ask for ABC and D, but to outline the situation, outline the position of the Caribbean countries and to ask the US that, in those circumstances, “ what are you prepared to do, " according to Manning.

Barbadian prime minister Owen Arthur also struck a resonant point when he delivered one of his best speeches yet, informing Washington that, "we have not come to Washington to hanker after a nostalgic past. And we have come here not as people without hope."

The Caribbean sought an audience with the U.S as it was the region's closest developed country neighbour, their major trading partner and the home of the largest number of migrants from the Caribbean.

Among issues that were put on the platter for the U.S to consider were expanding the range of goods and services in the CBI; the issue of security in the Caribbean regarding the transshipment of illegal drugs and all the inherent problems with that in fueling crime; the issue of deportation and health issues such as HIV/AIDS.

It's now left to the U.S to decide whether it will continue to ignore our concerns or  lend a hand in dealing with some of our problems which we all know would make a great, big difference to our countries.

One of the issues raised at the meeting by President Bush was the close relations between the Caribbean countries and Cuba.

The President was disturbed by this.

But it was made clear by several Caribbean leaders, including Guyana's President Bharat Jagdeo and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, that Cuba, along with Venezuela and even China, were the only countries helping the Caribbean.

Should we ignore their help which we so desperately need given our small economies and reducing GDPs?

The fact is that seven of the top ten countries across the globe with the highest ratio of debt to GDP are to be found in the Caribbean.  Only two are beneficiaries of the HIPC initiative.

This might have been news to the U.S., given their lack of attention to us.

President Bush was also told that the Caribbean respected the U.S position to have partners, and they hoped the U.S would respect the Caribbean to have their own partners as well.

Caribbean leaders also had an opportunity to meet with members of the civil society, including the Diaspora, the private sector, the academic community and others.

At one of the Diaspora meetings, one US-based Barbadian woman was lamenting the need for more Caribbean nationals living in the U.S. to make the sacrifices and show up at meetings on the weekends to see how they can help the folks back home.

She threw the audience into a fit of laughter when she said people only turn up when they know food was going to be served!

But seriously, the Caribbean Diaspora should be tapped into as external partners for our countries and hope the leaders would consider their potential contribution to their home countries.

I know too well how important their remittances are assisting families back in the Caribbean - and in the case of the Jamaican Diaspora, they have professionally organised themselves to aid the run-down hospitals and schools in the mother country.

There were scores of US-based Caribbean nationals at the Diaspora meetings who wanted to cement links and help the Caribbean in any which way they could.

There was one guy, John McKenzie, the President of the Caribbean-American Chamber of Commerce, who wanted to link US-Caribbean professionals with Caribbean-based professionals and have some synergies going.

And while the U.S did not seem to have any senior officials at the various plenary and Diaspora sessions, the World Bank, the IMF, the IDB and the OAS were greatly represented - and once again, the Caribbean needs to tap into those resources for help - and their officials have all publicly pledged to give assistance to the Caribbean in several spheres.

As an aside, special thanks to the OAS, and in particular, the Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin for inviting a large contingent of journalists from all 14 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries to take part in a one-day seminar and facilitating our presence in Washington for the Caribbean leaders' meeting.

We were indeed happy that more efforts are being made for a strong Caribbean presence in the OAS, despite the overwhelming Latin American bias of the hemispheric body.
Linda Hutchinson-Jafar can be reached at hutchlin@gmail.com

Perspectives on Terrorism
By Gwynne Dyer
It's safe to say that the driver of the car packed with explosives that was found in central London early Friday morning was not a very impressive terrorist.  Driving erratically down Haymarket at 1.30 in the morning in a silver Mercedes, crashing it into a garbage bin, getting out and running away -- it all suggests that he didn't pay proper attention back in terrorist school.

It's also safe to say that this incident will be taken more

seriously in the United States than it is in Britain itself or anywhere else in Europe. Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued the obligatory statement that Britain faces "a serious and continuous threat" and that the public "need to be alert" at all times, but there were none of the attempts to use it as justification for Britain's supporting role in the US invasion of Iraq that would have been automatic when Tony Blair was running the show.

Blair has gone off to bring peace to the Middle East as the special envoy of the Quartet (the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia). It would be a hopeless task at the moment even for someone respected by all sides, which is why the job had been left empty since the last "special envoy," former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, resigned in frustration in early 2006 -- and Wolfensohn (who hadn't even invaded Iraq) genuinely did have the respect of all sides.

But Blair didn't want to fade away gracefully. He wanted the job, and his pal George Bush twisted arms until the other members of the Quartet gave in, reasoning that he couldn't do that much harm when there's no hope anyway. After all, if a Borgia can become pope, why can't Tony Blair be a peace envoy?  The British Foreign Office is said to be in an "institutional sulk" and the Russians nearly vetoed the appointment, but it doesn't really matter much. Neither does the car-bomb that was abandoned in central London.

If the silver Merc that was left in Haymarket had actually exploded and killed some people it would not be an appropriate time to say this, but an occasional terrorist attack is one of the costs of doing business in the modern world.  You just have to bring a sense of proportion to the problem, and in general people in Europe do.

Most major European countries had already been through some sort of terrorist crisis well before the current fashion for "Islamist" terrorism:the IRA in Britain, the OAS in France, ETA in Spain, the Baader-Meinhof Gang in Germany,  the Brigate Rossi and their neo-fascist counterparts in Italy.  Most European cities have also been heavily bombed in a real war within living memory, which definitely puts terrorist attacks into a less impressive category.  So most Europeans, while they dislike terrorist attacks, do not obsess about them: they know that they are likelier to winthe lottery than to be hurt by terrorists.

Russians are pretty cool about the occasional terrorist attacks linked to the war in Chechnya, and Indians are positively heroic in their refusal (most of the time) to be panicked by terrorist attacks that have taken more lives there than all the attacks in the West since terrorist techniques first became widespread in the 1960s. In almost all of thes countries, despite the efforts of some governments to convince the population that terrorism is an existential threat of enormous size, the vast majority of the people don't believe it.

Whereas in the United States, most people do believe it.  A majority of Americans have finally figured out that the invasion of Iraq really had nothing to do with fighting terrorism, but they certainly havenot understood that terrorism itself is only a minor threat.
Inexperience is one reason: American cities have never been bombed in war, so Americans have no standard of comparison that would shrink terrorism to its true importance in the scale of threats that face any modern society. But the other is relentless official propaganda: the Bush administration has built its whole brand around the "war on terror" since 2001, so the threat must continue to be seen as huge and universal.

Ridiculous though it sounds to outsiders, Americans are regularly told that their survival as a free society depends on beating the"terrorists." They should treat those who say such things as fools or deliberate liars not worthy of a moment's attention, but they don't.  Which is why the manipulators of public opinion in the White House and the US media will give bigger play to the London bombing-that-wasn't than Britain's own government and media will.
Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.

TIME TO WALK THE TALK
The challenges facing  CARICOM's 28th Summit 
By Rickey Singh
FRESH FROM the just-concluded unique "Conference on the Caribbean" in Washington, CARICOM Heads of Government begin their 28th regular annual summit today, with a ceremonial opening in the couryard of  the Barbados Parliament--the oldest such institution in this hemisphere..

The agenda for their plenary working sessions, the first of which begins tomorrow morning at the new Barbados Hilton, is full of pressing issues, some of which have dominated previous summits and inter-sessional meetings.

For instance, completing the framework arrangements in 2008 for phased implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME)--now guided by the Norman Girvan-authored document "Towards s Single Economy and a Single Development Vision".

Secondly, strengthening the foundation of what has recently been identified as the "fourth pillar" of the 15-member Community--"security".

This "pillar" covers, among other burning social issues, endemic crime and violence; health, trafficking in arms, drugs and people, as well as a new emphasis on terrorism threats, following the foiled JFK airport "terrorist plot", and amid recurring concerns that this particular aspect may be externally-driven.

The three other "pillars" that have been standing virtually from the inception of the region's integration movement are trade and economic development; foreign policy and functional cooperation.

If there has been a time when "functional cooperation" should be seriously upgraded for new implementation strategies, that time is certainly now; and this week's summit is challenged to make it a ground-breaking event in this particular area, according to some senior ministers and top regional technocrats.

CARICOM leaders paying heed, would be aware of the cries of the people to treat regional air and sea transportation as a most urgent priority for action in the area of functional cooperation.

In our "Community of sovereign states", vital sectors like tourism and agriculture remain vulnerable due to lack of  concrete plans to make a reality of long promised regional projects in air and sea transportation. 

Chief spokesman on regional transportation is Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Community's outgoing chairman.

After Cricket World Cup 2007, there are now rising protestations across the Community against escalating air fares; more uneasiness over threats to the survival of a few regional carriers, and as hopes of a ferry service to supplement intra-regional movement of people and goods, continue to be dashed with every passing CARICOM summit.

In this situation, therefore, as some regional technocrats argue, the Heads of Government should pay close attention to calls for narrowing of the credibility gap between promises and action in the 34th year of a Community in which just one full-fledged member state could still frustrate any major decision from implementation.

So much for the challenges of "collective sovereignty" that must be seriously addressed to make the emerging CSME a significant success. 

In the prevailing circumstances, it may be useful for morale-boosting and confidence-building of the Community's people for this week's summit to come forward with at least a skeletal check-list on where we are at in terms of implementation of arrangements on, for example:

Transportation: The forging of a cohesive programme for regional air and sea transportation about which CARICOM leaders have been talking about for more than two decades.

Development Fund: Exactly when will the Community be "ready" to inaugurate the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), provided for in the Community Treaty, and deemed integral to the emerging seamless economy--especially the so-called "disadvantaged" ones?

Envisaged to be operational with some US$250 million in funding (US120 million by CARICOM) and the rest from donor governments and agencies, there is now a reported major hurdle to be crossed in the modalities of its management and operations.

Should, for instance, the fund function under a separate charter or, as some major potential donors prefer, within the ambit of the Caribbean Develoment Bank (CDB) which has done much of the basic work in helping to shape it?.

Some answers would have to be forthcoming from Barbados' Prime Minister Owen Arthur, host and chairman of this week's summit, who was mandated by his Community colleagues to chair a Resource Mobilisation Task Force for the CDF.

Energy security: Further, there is the need for public enlightenment on the status of plans for energy security, especially against the backdrop of the Venezuela-initiated PetroCaribe and last month's "Joint Statement" with President George Bush pertaining to new concerns that "more than 95 percent of CARICOM's energy needs are derived from fossil fuels..." 

Is there to be a supplementary initiative on bio-fuels? The CARICOM leader to deal with both the regional energy policy and programmes, as well as the expanding "security pillar" within the Community, will be Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

Food Security: Required also is an update on arrangements for the transformation of Caribbean agriculture with "food security" as a core objective.

This would involve breaking the heavy dependence on foreign imports, currently costing an estimated US$3 Billion--in the face of some member countries continuing to default on preferential purchase of what's produced in CARICOM. An example is Guyana's rice. 

President Bharrat Jagdeo has lead responsibility for transformation of the Community's  agriculture sector, and is expected to report on the outcome of a Agriculture Donors Conference last month in Port-of-Spain..

Health: To what extent has implementation taken place on the report of the Sir George Alleyne-led blue-ribbon 'Caribbean Commission on Health and Development", submitted two years ago this month?

The central theme of the Commission's report is based on the slogan "The Health of the Region is the Wealth of the Region" that emerged from CARICOM's "Nassau Declaration" of 2001. ,What progress has been made, as a Community, in some of the critical areas highlighted.

A progress report is required on actions taken on the Commission's focus on the "alarming increase" in chronic non-communicable disease---including heart disease,  diabetes, cancer, and hypertension, as well as the daunting problem of obesity among adults (male and female) and children.  

Rights Charter: On human  rights and freedoms, it is more than high time also for an update on efforts made to elevate the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society into a legally-binding document. The charter was endorsed 10 years ago by CARICOM governments.

In the absence of it being made a legally-binding instrument, it is felt that the charter should at least  be submitted for approval by national parliaments so that violations may be alluded to in relevant court cases.

A time-line is required  also for the proposed new governance architecture for CARICOM--whether or not having at its core a recommended high-level commission, empowered with executive authority.

The latest report dealing with effective governance for "mature regionalism" is that of a Technical Working Group, headed by former Director General of the OECS Secretariat, Vaughan Lewis, and considered at CARICOM's Inter-Sessional Meeting in Kingstown, St.Vincent, this past February.

It would be a welcome surprise to learn that for this 28th CARICOM summit, the leaders are anxious to cut the talk and do the walk for an "action agenda" on implementation priorities.

Particularly in relation to the inauguration of the CARICO Development Fund; new governance arrangements; and in facing up to the crisis situation on regional air and sea transportation. 

The new British government and the Caribbean
By Sir Ronald sanders
(The writer is a business executive and former Caribbean diplomat)
Britain remains of sufficient importance to countries of the Caribbean that many of them will be deeply interested in how the change of Prime Minister from Tony Blair to Gordon Brown will affect them.

The one person of Caribbean origin in the Blair Cabinet, Baroness Valerie Amos, has gone but another person of Caribbean origin has joined Brown’s Cabinet – Baroness Patricia Scotland. 

Guyana-born Baroness Amos held many positions in the Blair administration including Foreign Office Minister, Secretary for International Development and finally Leader of the House of Lords.  She has now been nominated for the post of European Union (EU) special representative to the African Union. 

Dominica-born Baroness Patricia Scotland is the Attorney-General in Brown’s government.  Undoubtedly, this is a remarkable development.  It is the first time in British history that a woman is Attorney-General and the first time that a black person holds this important post. 

Baroness Scotland had also served the Blair government as parliamentary under secretary in the foreign office, parliamentary secretary at the Lord Chancellor’s Department and recently as Home Office Minister of State for the Criminal Justice system and Law Reform.

Between them, these two Baronesses exercised considerable influence in getting the Blair administration to pay some attention to the Caribbean. 

Although Baroness Amos has gone at Gordon Brown’s behest, the fact that he has promoted Baroness Scotland to the post of the government’s senior law advisor will help to retain the votes of Caribbean people in the UK who have traditionally supported the Labour Party.      

But, it is to the new Foreign Secretary and other ministers in the British foreign and commonwealth office as well as the new International Development Secretary that the Caribbean will have to look to ensure that it keeps what little attention is given to Caribbean causes.

The new Foreign Secretary is David Miliband.  While there is no record of his showing any interest in the Caribbean, there are indications that his views on some issues coincide with the expressed positions of Caribbean governments.  For instance, even though Mr Miliband’s heritage is Jewish, he has criticised both the US and Israel over the Israeli attack on Hezbollah last summer.

On climate change, which is an issue of great concern to Caribbean countries, because of increased and more intense hurricanes linked to global warming, he has considerable interest and is sure to push it as part of Britain’s foreign policy agenda.  He has also shown that he is not reluctant to face up to issues with the United States and last year he made it clear in a speech in the US that the challenges of climate change demand “strong leadership” from Washington if they are to be met successfully.

As I write this commentary no announcement has been made about Lord Triesman, the foreign office minister who had responsibility in the Blair government for relations with Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Overseas Territories, and the Commonwealth.

But, at least one of his subject areas, Africa, has gone to an interesting new foreign office minister who, while he will not be a Cabinet minister, will attend Cabinet meetings as necessary.  This is Malloch Brown, who served as an aide to former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Anan, and who was critical of President George W Bush’s administration over Israel and Lebanon.  He will also have responsibility for Asia and the UN. In many policy areas such as the middle-east and development issues, Malloch Brown’s and many Caribbean governments should see eye to eye.

The other appointment that should be of interest to the Caribbean is the Secretary for International Development.  He is Douglas Alexander a close political ally of Gordon Brown’s having served in the past as his researcher and speech writer.

Alexander has been Minister of Trade and Minister for Europe, so he should be no stranger to Caribbean issues in the current negotiations with the European Union (EU) for an Economic Partnership Agreement.  To underscore Alexander’s importance, Gordon Brown has also appointed him the coordinator of the Labour Party’s strategy for the next general election.   He will, therefore, wield considerable influence.

As for the new Prime Minister himself, he has shown little interest in the past in Caribbean matters.  And, it will take some doing for the Caribbean to engage his attention for two main reasons.

First, he now has both eyes on establishing himself in the minds of the British electorate as the man best able to lead them after the next general elections.  In this, he has a fight on his hands and the opposition Conservative Party has wasted no time in making his life uncomfortable.  Brown has set himself an agenda for change – change in education, health and housing particularly.  It is an agenda that will occupy his every waking moment.

Second, throughout his period as Britain’s Finance Minister, Gordon Brown’s overseas preoccupation has been poverty in Africa.  This is unfinished business, and the Caribbean will recede deep into the background as he struggles to tackle it under pressure from several vocal and influential non governmental organisations.

If the Caribbean is to engage this new Brown government, much work has to be done at the diplomatic and ministerial levels.  And, the help of the Caribbean Diaspora in the UK will be vital, particularly as general elections approach.
Responses to: ronaldsanders29@hotmail.com

Advancing integration between Caricom and Central America
By Odeen Ishmael
As part of the efforts to expand regional integration, the second joint summit of heads of state and government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the Central American Integration System (SICA) convened in Belize City, Belize on 12 May 2007. The first summit was held in February 2002, also in Belize City. And now with a more organised approach to integration in place, the leaders decided to hold future summits every two years, with Nicaragua hosting the next one in May 2009.

In preparation for this recent summit, the Ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs, the Economy and Foreign Trade held discussions in Belize in February 2007 on strengthening the political dialogue and cooperation, and expanding trade between the two hemispheric sub-regions.

Significantly, the summit reaffirmed the action plan drawn up by the Foreign Ministers at their February meeting, by which Caricom and SICA aimed to further increase cooperation in numerous areas, including human development, health, housing, poverty eradication, environment and disaster mitigation, foreign policy coordination, foreign trade and investment, crime and security, the fight against corruption, air transportation, tourism, and cultural exchanges.

For many years, both sides had expressed the importance of establishing a joint free trade agreement (FTA). The Foreign Trade Ministers, during the February meeting, agreed on this direction, and the summit formalised this by deciding to start discussions for such an accord. The heads decided to use as a basis the current Caricom-Costa Rica FTA which provides for accession by other countries of the two sub-regions and regarded as the most appropriate tool for achieving the early realisation of enhanced trade relations among the participating countries.

As a result of this decision, a preparatory meeting of Caricom and SICA representatives was subsequently held in Panama City on 30 May to discuss the framework of the FTA. Among the issues considered were the legal format that would constitute the agreement; the amendments and revisions that must be incorporated to align the integration of the other SICA members into the framework of the Costa Rica – Caricom FTA; and market access such as rules of origin, customs rules and administrative procedures.

A critical trade issue which has seen a long running difference between the two sub-regions is over the matter of preferential treatment by the European Union for bananas produced in Caricom member-states. Commenting on this problem which was aired at the summit, Barbados’ Prime Minister Owen Arthur emphasised that since Caricom and Central America “have a common and shared vulnerability”, they must “really try to find common ground on matters where there is a common vulnerability.” Noting that this situation has existed for some time, he said that “it is through meetings like this and through the determination to find means and mechanisms for cooperation in the future that such conflict in the past may be avoided in the future.”

But it was not just the trade issue that took centre stage. Other crucial matters such as natural disasters, energy, investments and transportation received emphasis. Noting that natural disasters and climate change present a grave danger to Central America and the Caribbean, the summit saw the necessity for closer coordination between the relevant bodies established within the framework of Caricom and SICA. As a result, a high level meeting on “Environment and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation” is currently being planned for Honduras in order to discuss and analyse a proposal for a joint project in both sub-regions.

And in a further effort to intensify their efforts to combat and mitigate the potentially devastating impact of climate change on the countries of both regions, Caricom and SICA will also collaborate on proposals that may be incorporated in the multilateral regime presently being negotiated. They will also support the proposal that the UN Economic and Social Council should hold a special session at the level of Foreign Ministers in the margins of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly in September this year.

In addition, the summit involved itself in a thorough discussion on the question of energy in the light of the serious effect of energy costs on the economies of both sub-regions. The leaders discussed practical ways to address this situation, including pursuing renewable energy alternatives, diversifying energy sources and encouraging energy conservation. They also set an objective to harmonise regional energy policies and strengthen the energy sector in the member-states.

An important part of the discussions centred on the question of security and the expanding problem of crime. In this respect, both groups decided to advance cooperation in the fight against organised crime, including illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, drug trafficking, among other criminal activities, through the exchange of information and the establishment of mechanisms aimed at reinforcing such collaboration.

Hailing the summit as a success, and pointing to the agreement reached between the two sub-regions, Belize’s Prime Minister Said Musa said, “We believe that this bold initiative will not only bring our peoples closer together but also help in the fight against poverty”

Indeed, both Caricom and SICA have cooperated in many hemispheric and other multilateral issues over the past decade. Such cooperation is very active at the UN where both groupings participate as members of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and at the OAS where they share similar views on political, economic and social problems affecting the smaller economies of the hemisphere.

Undoubtedly, this overdue summit has reinvigorated the natural alliance between Caricom and SICA whose member-states are all classified as smaller economies. Operating from the cooperation agreement of this summit and the action plan crafted by the Foreign Ministers, both sub-regions can now take concrete decisions in their mutual interests at multilateral forums such as the OAS, the UN and at the World Trade Organisation discussions. More particularly, by increasing their political consultations on a more streamlined basis in the regional, hemispheric and international forums, they are now in a better position to identify areas of consensus while working to develop joint positions and coordinate on issues of mutual interest regionally and internationally.

Is CARICOM working?
By: Rev. Kwame Gilbert
Caricom in its formation, comprises two groups of countries; the More developed Countries (MDC’s) and the Less Develped Countries (LDC’s) .

Founded in1973, CARICOM now celebrates 34 years in existence. Thirty –three years I believe, is sufficient time to realize the collective dream of its member states .CARICOM, as we are aware, is a continuation of CARIFTA, the Caribbean Free Trade Area .Based on the minimum level of cooperation in a free trade area, we can safely conclude that CARIFTA achieved its goals, particularly regarding the elimination of tariffs and imports quotas.

Caricom’s mandate, I dare say, has not seen the same level of success. There continues to be much discussion on the inadequacy of regional policy towards the national needs of the member countries. We continue after 34 years to still struggle with a crisis of the integration system, a structural crisis of a specific framework for developing and working towards a certain quality of collective life and an ideal of unity for the peoples of the region.

One must, however, in fairness to the process, give credit for the introduction of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). But even the functional framework of this initiative is of some concern to me. While one cannot honestly disagree with the proponents that the benefits of this initiative are numerous, consideration has to be given to the fact that greater benefits will be derived by the MDC’s, and consequently the LDC’s if those issues are addressed , or the LDC’s in the region will continue to haemorrhage. It is a fact that CSME has led to an unprecedented brain drain in many parts of the region.

Contextually speaking, it is not represented as such, but rather as a movement of skilled personnel from primarily LDCs to MDCs. It is a fact also that the quality of our relationship as a region suffers as a result of immigration policies and practices affecting the execution of the mandate of the CSME. What is missing I believe is a mandatory conditionality that requires member states to conform to trade agreements as a prerequisite for the employing of nationals from CARICOM member states . In other words, you cannot have our human resources if you will not take our export products. CARICOM’s expectation that integration in the region promises economic gains by providing an avenue for increase regional and extra-regional trade is nothing but a fleeting illusion; at least from a Guyanese perspective.

It is my view and I believe it is substantiated by the preponderance of evidence that CARICOM trade has not benefited Guyana. Caricom trade is and has been dominated by Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago and to some extent Jamaica. The records are there to prove that the percentage of trade that takes place within the region, scarcely benefits Guyana’s Foreign Trade sector.

Most of our traditional agricultural crops have, out of great necessity, found their way to markets outside of the region. As I have said, this is not of choice, but primarily on the basis that our brothers and sisters in the CARICOM family are talking the talk but not walking the walk when it comes to trade relations in the region.

Only recently Guyana’s rice exporters found it necessary to begin proceedings in the Caribbean Court of Justice against Montserrat and Antigua after they breached the COTED regulations on extra regional importation.

Recently also, the Minister of Foreign Trade expressed frustration over the disregard for established rules governing Common External Tariffs. The defaulters identified were Antigua, Grenada and St. Vincent. It is clear that trade within the region has denied Guyana her share of the pie. The results therefore concur; regional integration does not necessarily increase trade flows and in some cases may even be associated with a decline. While Caribbean integration has provided numerous non-economic gains, the continued imbalance in trade practices is potentially harmful to many of the countries in the region. While Guyana has been vigorously pursuing openings in Europe and Latin America for example, it is no idle boast when we say that Guyana’s agriculture sector has the capability of feeding the entire Caribbean. All we ask for is a level , open playing field .Trade offers an opportunity for economic gains that are best realized within an environment that supports skilled resources, sound and credible government institutions, and technological development. Without these fundamentals, the pursuit of economic gains via regional integration will likely continue to be disappointing.

Danns sprints to bronze in South American Junior championships
By Leeron Brumell
OVERSEAS-based sprinter Dax Danns secured Guyana’s first medal at the 37th edition of the South American Junior Championships yesterday at the Estadio Icaro de Castro Mello (Icaro de Castro Mello Stadium), Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Danns, decked in an all-in-one body suit registered 10.48 seconds in the 100m sprint that was won in record time by Panamanian gunner in Alonson Edwards 10.28 seconds, removing the 10.33 set in Argentina in 2005 by Rafeal da Silva Ribeiro of Brazil.

Colombia’s Alvaro Gomes finished second in 10.47 seconds.

Earlier in the day Danns had cruised to victory in the second 100m semi-final with a 10.72-second burst, but both Edwards and Gomes had clocked 10.52 seconds.

In the final, from the sound of the gun Edwards was out and was clearly in the lead, with Danns and Gomes battling for second. Gomes was steadier down the final few metres as the Guyanese struggled to keep his form and as such missed the silver.

The 19-year-old Nebraska College freshman will compete in the 200m in today’s final day, seeking another medal against the same faces.

Meanwhile, long distance athletes Dennis Horatio and Tyshon Bentick failed to secure podium finishes in the 1500m -- the former finishing a disappointing 10th place while the latter trailed him across the line in the sparsely populated stadium.

The race was won by Venezuelan Marvin Blanco Bompart in 3:54.71. Horatio will get a chance to redeem himself today when he runs the 5 000m.

Yesterday Horatio was off his personal best of 4.15:30, registered at the 2007 President’s Invitational at the Police Sports Club ground, while Bentick’s 4.31:94, a personal best, bettered the 4.47:10 also at the same local meet.

Coach George Danns expressed his pleasure at the first day’s performance but said the Guyanese lacked the energy level to claim top finishes in the 1500m race that was run at a blistering pace.

Horatio and Bentick were the smallest in the group, but Bentick showed promise by moving to the head of the bunch after 300m, while Horatio was boxed in. 400m on, Bentick was caught and pushed to the back, while Horatio was guilty of not forcing his way out.

In the end, they were beaten by over 150 metres under cool conditions.

The athletes trained two days prior to the meet at the venue but in fluctuating temperatures between 16 to 22 degrees.

There are 12 South American countries in action, inclusive of Guyana with some 198 athletes.

Only Suriname did not put in an appearance and defending champions and hosts Brazil have the largest contingent of 66 athletes. Both Guyana and Bolivia have the smallest contingent with three athletes each.

DC Jammers demolish Georgetown 107-77
… go two up in three-game series
By Rawle Toney
THE Washington-based DC Jammers continued their dominance in Guyana by winning their second consecutive game of a three-game Goodwill series, this time annihilating the Georgetown side 107-77 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The Friday night game was somewhat of a replay of last Wednesday’s 51-point blowout against Linden.

The home team came out aggressive -- the right game plan -- but their shots were just not falling in the opening minutes. At the other end of the court the Jammers were flowing, with the trio of the Klaiber brothers (Gordon and Antric) and point guard Glen Stokes picking up where they left off in the first game.

Stokes, who ended with a game-high 29 points and the most valuable player trophy of the night, was way too much for the home team’s defence.

Andrew Ifill, who was tasked with the responsibility of marking Gordon, found it difficult at both ends of the court.

He, however, led the way with 23 points for Georgetown, while the other short-listed player for the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) championships in August, power-forward Royston Siland, finished with 16 points and the young Carl Jackman with 12.

Pacesetters shooting guard Naylon Loncke was on fire from behind the arc hitting four shots for his 12 points, but in the end it was not enough.

The Klaiber brothers, who are also short-listed for the CBC in Puerto Rico, again chalked up points. Gordon finished with 19 while his older brother scored 15.

Guyana’s only hope was left on the shoulders of Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) President’s XII, who were expected to play against the Jammers last night in the final game.

Windies handed Chandi boost for first ODI against England
AFTER the mayhem of two Twenty20 matches, the 50-over format is going to feel sedate for England and West Indies when they open the NatWest Series at Lord's today.

Honours were even after the double-header at The Oval and another keenly contested series is on the cards in the longer one-day game as both sides seek a new direction.

The two teams have been boosted by fitness news with Ian Bell recovering well from his groin strain and, if he doesn't feel any reaction in the morning, is expected to replace Warwickshire team-mate Jonathan Trott who made 9 and 2 in the Twenty20. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Devon Smith - who both missed Friday's second Twenty20 - have been passed fit for West Indies. They are expected to come in for Lendl Simmons and Austin Richards who struggled at The Oval.

Chanderpaul's return is vital for West Indies after being their stand-out player throughout the tour. He showed his versatility by hitting 41 off 26 balls in the first Twenty20 after his batting feats during the Test series, which included going 1 000 minutes without being dismissed.

David Moore, West Indies' coach, wants the younger members of the squad to follow Chanderpaul's lead. "He has proved to everyone that he can bat for long periods in the Test matches and he also came out in the first Twenty20 game and did what we know he can do and take an attack apart.

"He must be one of the most versatile cricketers in the world to be able to do that. Our players need to look at how he prepares. If I was a young cricketer, I'd be looking at how Chanderpaul prepares as a batter and take a leaf out of his book. I know how he prepares and that's the way you need to as a cricketer."

England's coach, Peter Moores, says the back-to-back Twenty20 games were a valuable experience for the newly-formed squad. The aim is to identify players who will be part of the next World Cup in 2011, but Moores is aware that four years is a long time and there will be other players pushing their claims.

"We have also got to develop a winning habit, we've got to find ways of winning and we've got to develop players that are in there," said Moores.

"We all know that just putting teams of youngsters out doesn't really work because it takes time and they learn off other players.

"If we think it's right to play somebody who may not get through to that World Cup then we'll play them because they will often pass on great experiences and help the other people they are playing alongside."

Given the recent weather it's no surprise that showers are forecast for London today but the worst of them are expected to move through overnight. After the fireworks over the last couple of days it would be a shame should the weather put a dampener on what promises to be another exciting contest. (Cricinfo)

Harper cites a long road to recovery for Windies cricket
… extends coaching sojourn with Kenya until after Twenty20 World Cup
By Allan La Rose
FORMER Guyana and West Indies all-rounder, Roger Harper has extended his coaching sojourn with the Kenyan Cricket Association until after the Twenty20 World Cup scheduled for September in South Africa.

Under Harper’s direction Kenya won the World Cricket League for International Cricket Council (ICC) Associates Division One teams, thus qualifying for the Twenty20 world Cup finals.

“I have committed myself to preparing the team and taking them to the World Cup Tournament. After then I’ll have to look at what my options are and make a decision,” Harper revealed to Chronicle Sport while at home recently.

The 44-year-old Harper took up coaching the Kenyan Cricket team at the beginning of 2006 and was contracted until the end of June of this year.

“We have made some tremendous strides since I’ve been around. We were able to maintain our status as the best team in the World Cricket League for the six Associate member Countries of the ICC.”

When he started coaching towards the end of January last year the personable native of Guyana recalls how the Kenyan team was in a little bit of disarray.

“They hadn’t played a lot of international cricket or any cricket because of some domestic problems, so it was about getting the team together and getting them to focus on improving their skills and cricket discipline, as well as getting them to work together as a team and raising their fitness levels.”

Harper feels that domestic cricket is an area where a lot of improvements could be made, but blames the lack of sponsorship and funding for limiting the implementation of programmes for the development of the game in Kenya.

“Mainly Limited Overs is played in Kenya, As a matter of fact, I can say only 50 overs cricket and now Twenty20 competitions are played.

“Years ago, I understand Kenya had a very good coaching system in place where lots of the coaches were on the payroll. They went into the schools and did a lot of coaching. That system has now disintegrated. Also in the past during the late 90s the team had sponsorship from the Major Beer Company, but somewhere along the line things didn’t work out and the sponsorship was not renewed.”

Harper believes that creating a very competitive atmosphere among players whereby they have stiff competition as they vie for places on the team is one of the ways forward for Kenya Cricket.

The former Guyana captain who also had a stint as coach of the West Indies does not rule out the possibility of returning to the job.

“As a West Indian I would really like nothing better than being involved in coaching and contributing to the development of West Indies cricket, and if the opportunity arises to coach the WI again this is something I would seriously consider. I would really like to see WI cricket return to the top”.

In his estimation ‘there is a lot to be done to WI cricket if we hope to get out of the current poor state’.

“Implementing a long-term comprehensive plan is a necessity. We are the only big Test-playing nation that does not have a comprehensive development plan. We are behind time is an understatement.

“What are we doing to make sure our game gets to the desired level and move ahead?” Harper, who played 25 Tests and 105 ODI’s for the West Indies asked.

“If we are serious about getting back to the top of World Cricket then we have no choice but to implement a comprehensive development programme where our focus begins at the grassroots level.

“Our biggest failing is not in planning, but lack of implementation. The most important part of any plan is execution of the plan.

“I am sure if you look in the drawers of the WICB you will find a number of plans lying there. Since I’ve been involved in WI cricket a lot of development plans have been drawn up. Jamaican Reg Scarlett delivered one and I sat down with Michael Seepersaud and drafted another. All I know they were presented to the Directors responsible”. Harper informed.

“What I am disappointed in is the fact that we have a shaky house and yet we keep piling stuff on the top. I would like to think that if your house is shaking it has something to do with the foundation or the pillars, and if you keep piling things on the top it is going to collapse”.

“I don’t see us implementing anything that will give us the best possible chance of returning to the top and sustaining that level of competitiveness and dominance, in say, five to six years down the line. What we keep hearing are reviews and making new plans”. Harper stressed.

“We haven’t implemented or attempted to execute anything, so how are we going to move forward. We cannot keep hoping that our stars of the future will just happen or emerge.

“When WI cricket was at its most dominant we didn’t have such a big Secretariat and paid staff, yet we were the best Cricket team in the World for 15 years.

“During that period the territories fulfilled their obligations of developing and producing quality players. Now everyone is looking to the WICB. It must be the duty of the territories to produce quality cricketers for WI.

Harper also questioned whether there is a plan, in Guyana, to produce the next Rohan Kanhai, Clive Lloyd or Alvin Kallicharran.

“When the territories start fulfilling their obligations, WI cricket will return to the top. We need to do a lot more work instead of just sitting back and waiting for things to happen. Maybe we are awaiting some miracle to transform our players.

“We must get more technical people involved in making technical decisions and reviewing technical skills.

“Look at what England did after being soundly beaten by Australia. They had a lot of people reviewing and analysing their performances. And look who they had, a lot of recent past captains, three of whom are current commentators. These people had first-hand knowledge and information on what went on, but more importantly these are people who were involved with the game at the highest level.

“We have to recreate the model we had in the past which was so successful, where necessary, we have to improve on it and add to it, but we cannot circumvent aspects of it and expect to succeed long term. We need to keep things in perspective, to be rational and objective in determining the way forward for our cricket and most of all plan for the long-term as the Australians did,” Harper recommends.

“Having the tools, which is what your skills are, doesn’t mean a thing, unless you know how to use them. Players must have the mental capacity to manage their individual skills. I think in a lot of cases this is what lets us down.

“The best players in the world have technical deficiencies, but we don’t recognise them as often because they know how to conceal them.

“They know what their strengths and weaknesses are. They know what they can do and what they have difficulty in doing, so they play to their strengths and try to compensate for their weaknesses. We have to teach our players how to do that and how to play to the game situations.

“In the WI we are blessed with natural talents and players who possess good hand-to-eye coordination. Honing these talents by teaching the technical fundamentals of the game as well as inculcating all the qualities we would like our players to possess at the highest level, together with good work ethics and the never-say-die attitude.

“The players must appreciate the importance of physical fitness in all aspects of it also the benefits of a good diet, and most importantly we have to teach them and make them understand the mental side of the game,” Harper emphasised.

Sharapova and Mauresmo dodge rain to reach last 16
By Martyn Herman
LONDON, England (Reuters) - Maria Sharapova came suitably dressed at Wimbledon yesterday and floated around Court One just long enough to reach the last 16 of the women's singles.

Her dress, inspired by Swan Lake according to the Russian, was beginning to get a little soggy when she wrapped up a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Japan's Ai Sugiyama minutes before another Atlantic depression washed out play for the day.

Only two matches were completed on the worst day of weather at a rain-hit championships, the other being defending champion Amelie Mauresmo's rather more impressive 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Italy's Mara Santangelo.

The only real excitement of a depressing day in southwest London came when 2004 champion Sharapova raced against the encroaching rain clouds to finish off Sugiyama.

The final points were played out with the ground staff poised to haul on the covers and Sugiyama complaining that the court was becoming too slippery.

Second seed Sharapova, who had trailed 3-1 in the second set, finally got off court with a winning forehand before almost being caught under the rain covers.

"I heard the weather was not supposed to be good for the rest of the day, so it was really good to finish that," the 20-year-old said.

The 31-year-old Sugiyama, playing at her 53rd consecutive grand slam tournament, appeared furious at the end of the match but chose her words carefully afterwards.

"The last two games were really slippery," she said.

"I didn't want to give it away because, you know, if it's not easy to run, it seems like you're giving up.

"I just told them that it's too slippery. But (the umpire) touched the grass, it was not so wet for her, so I couldn't say anything."

Sharapova is in line to face triple former champion Venus Williams next, although the American 23rd seed was trailing 4-1 in the second set, having won the first, against Akiko Morigama when the deluge arrived.

Fourth seed Mauresmo struggled to hold serve in the first game against the unorthodox Santangelo before settling into her flowing rhythm on Centre Court.

She sent down 11 aces during an easy victory before awarding herself eight out of 10 for her performance.

"We didn't really know when we were going to go on because it didn't look too good," the 27-year-old Frenchwoman told reporters. "I'm just glad that I was able to go on and finish quickly so that I have this third round behind me."

Men's second seed Rafael Nadal only got as far as warming-up in his third round against Swede Robin Soderling and must try again tomorrow, as will Lleyton Hewitt and Novak Djokovic.

Despite the dismal weather, organisers ruled out playing on the middle today so all the players will get a rest day.

Windies keeper Ramdin reprimanded for dissent
LONDON, England (Reuters) - West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has been reprimanded for dissent after an appeal for a catch was rejected by umpire Nigel Llong during the Twenty20 defeat by England on Friday.

"The player was clearly disappointed an appeal had been turned down ... he allowed that disappointment to become dissent and that is completely unacceptable," match referee Mike Procter said in a statement.

Ramdin pleaded guilty at a hearing after play ended at the Oval. England won by five wickets to tie the two-match Twenty20 series.

West Indies batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Devon Smith, who missed Friday's game through injury, have been passed fit to play in today’s opening one-day international at Lord's.

Coach David Moore said he was pleased to have Chanderpaul back.

"Not many people can do what he does, block it out in the Tests and smash it around in the Twenty20," said Moore. "That's what makes him one of the better cricketers in the world.

"He is now our number one batsman and getting really good recognition for it."

Chanderpaul went a spell of 17 hours 40 minutes without being dismissed in the recent 3-0 Test-series defeat by England and then smashed 41 off 26 balls in the first Twenty20 match.

Singh hits 101 as National Under-19s prepare for regional tourney
THE National Under-19 team continued their preparation ahead of the regional TCL three-day and one-day Under-19 tournaments to be held in St Kitts and Nevis from July 24 to August 20, yesterday, at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence.

Several of the batsmen were given the opportunity to bat first and the intention was to make a score of 360 from the two days, and at the same time test the captaincy level and the concentration level of the batsmen and the bowlers’ desperation for wickets.

At the end of the first day’s play, Steven Jacobs’ side had reached 335 for seven with Georgetown Cricket Club player Vishal Singh hitting 101, skipper Jacobs 82 and Rajendra Chandrika with 74.

Left-arm spinner Totaram Bishun and leg-spinner Jonathan Foo have taken two wickets so far.

When the action continues today at 10:00 h, and Jacobs’ XI reach the target, another small target will be set for the fielding team, as Jacobs’ side will be seeking an outright victory.

Locker room thieves target tennis players
By Paul Majendie
LONDON, England (Reuters) - Locker room thieves are targeting the world's top tennis players and Wimbledon is the latest victim.

Players and coaches on the international circuit have suffered at least 15 thefts this year from Melbourne to Paris, sparking fears that an insider could be responsible.

The first to be hit at Wimbledon last week were former French Open champion Albert Costa who had a bag of euros and dollars stolen and French player Michael Llodra, who had his wallet taken.

"We will try to do everything we can to ensure this doesn't happen again on our premises," a Wimbledon spokesman said after the robberies were reported.

Despite strict checks on who comes into the locker room on the tour, these are just the latest in a rash of incidents that have alarmed the governing body of men's tennis.

Asked if insiders might be to blame, ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) spokesman Andre Silva said: "We obviously don't know who is doing it and I don't want to speculate."

He estimated that there had been about 15 thefts already this year.

Czech player Radek Stepanek, the fiance of Switzerland's former world number one Martina Hingis, had 5 000 euros ($6 723) taken in Monte Carlo.

Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman, reported the loss of personal effects at both the Australian and French Open tournaments.

Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean was one of three players robbed at the Queen's grasscourt tournament in London earlier this month.

ATP spokesman Silva said: "We do take it seriously. Last year we passed a rule tightening up credentials in the locker room. Players have to tell us who their coaches are.

"We want this to be resolved but we need the players to work with us in a combined effort. The players' council will be involved in any new decision as this involves what we feel is a very private area for them.”

Lara to play key role in T&T’s sports development
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Batting star Brian Lara will be one of the key players in helping to develop a holistic plan for the development of sports here, a top government official has announced.

Roger Boynes, T&T’s Minister of Sports, said Thursday after a meeting of Cabinet that he was currently in discussion with the former West Indies captain with a view getting him to play a critical role in the country’s sporting landscape.

It is also hoped that Lara’s involvement will attract greater youth participation in the sporting arena.

Boynes said that talks were centred on Lara and the Brian Lara Foundation being used as a catalyst to develop sports in Trinidad and Tobago.

He said Lara had made it clear that putting Trinidad and Tobago first in sport development was his first priority.

The 38-year-old Lara, the world record holder for the highest Test and first class scores along with the most career runs, retired from international cricket following the World Cup.

He is currently in England on personal business.

Pacquiao, Barrera set for rematch in October
BANGKOK, (Reuters) - A long-awaited rematch between super featherweights Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera will take place in October after rival promoters agreed to end a bitter feud.

Filipino Pacquiao (44-3-2), who defeated Barrera (63-5) in 2003 by TKO, will face the Mexican in Las Vegas on October 6, according to media reports.

Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions announced on Friday they had settled lawsuits against each other and would share promotional rights of Pacquiao, who is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.

"I'm absolutely relieved this is behind us and that we will work together to make some great fights," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was quoted as saying by ESPN.com.

"I think it's tremendous for boxing."

The dispute erupted after it was reported that Pacquiao, 28, had signed deals with both promoters.

After defeating Erik Morales in November last year, he announced a deal with Top Rank and tried to return a signing bonus to Golden Boy, who refused the payment.

Pacquiao retained his WBC international title in April when he knocked out Mexican Jorge Solis in San Antonio.

Barrera's last fight came in March, when he lost out to compatriot Juan Manuel Marquez in a WBC super featherweight title bout in Las Vegas.

A world-class event that will make us all proud
SONIA Noel is traversing the Caribbean at all the headliner fashion shows from her Barbados home.

These days they are mistaking her for a Bajan.

It is true to say that since she adopted Barbados as her home-base, her work has catapulted her to new heights, but she is certainly not letting go of her real home – Guyana.

In fact, Sonia is in downtown Georgetown preparing for probably her biggest gig yet, and with this she intends to make further headlines for herself and for Guyana.

Her plans to stage the first ever Guyana Fashion Weekend is meeting with nothing but hurrahs from the highest level here.

President Bharrat Jagdeo has come on board as patron o