| Knight attending Caribbean/UK ministerial forum Wednesday, April 03, 2002 The Observer |
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| KNIGHT... returns to Jamaica next Monday |
FOREIGN minister, K D Knight left the island yesterday for Guyana where he will attend the Third Caribbean/United Kingdom Ministerial Forum, from April 3-5.
Caribbean foreign ministers are expected to hold talks with a team led by UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on drug-related crimes and arms trafficking, debt relief, and the promotion of education possibilities in Britain.
Several proposals were made at the last UK/Caribbean Forum held in London in May 2000, including a Caribbean Inward Investment Office, to encourage new capital investment in the region; a new UK government fund to provide assistance and training to improve effective law enforcement in the region; and the creation of a UK/Caribbean Jurists' Association, to promote links and exchanges on judicial matters.
The foreign ministry said yesterday that following the Caribbean/UK Ministerial Forum, Knight will attend a meeting of ministers with responsibility for upcoming negotiations, the Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) and the CARICOM Secretariat in Barbados on April 7. The ministry statement said an update on the nature and status of negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and other trade arenas is expected to be presented at this meeting.
Knight is currently the ministerial spokesperson for the FTAA negotiations. He returns to the island Monday, April 8.