US vice-president Joe Biden will meet with Caricom leaders on regional security as well as trade co-operation and other issues during his brief visit to T&T, starting today. Government officials said yesterday that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had agreed to use the opportunity of Biden’s visit to facilitate her Caricom colleagues and Dominican Republic leaders. Caricom heads will engage in discussions on matters related to, inter alia, regional security, trade, human and social development and energy with Biden.
The Office of the Prime Minister yesterday stated: “It is anticipated that this meeting with the vicepresident may serve to lay the groundwork for robust co-operation during the administration’s second term.” When recently-elected Grenadian prime minister Keith Mitchell came to T&T three weeks ago, he confirmed he would be at the Biden meeting. Government officials said feedback up to yesterday was that the majority of Caricom heads would be coming to meet with Biden, “save two or three leaders who are unable to make it.”
Biden, accompanied by his wife, Dr Jill Biden, and a 150-member delegation, will arrive at 4 pm today via the US presidential Airforce Two jet at Piarco Airport’s South terminal. The US vice-president has an all-day schedule with state officials tomorrow. Biden and his delegation will be welcomed on arrival today by the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran, plus the Cabinet team, and will receive a military salute and steelpan serenade.
Tomorrow’s agenda begins with a courtesy call on President Anthony Carmona and his wife, Reema Carmona, at the President’s office, followed by an official courtesy call on the Prime Minister at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s. Persad-Bissessar and Biden will also meet privately for bilateral discussions before the multilateral meeting between Caricom heads and the US vice-president. Persad-Bissessar, who assumes Caricom’s chairmanship in July, said recently that a security agreement will be signed when Biden is in T&T.
Other officials said aspects of the discussions will include anti-drug trafficking cooperation. The Prime Minister will host a luncheon for the visiting delegations at the Diplomatic Centre, followed by a media conference at 2.15 pm tomorrow. Current Caricom chairman, Haitian president Michel Joseph Martelly, will also address the media. Following this, the US delegation will leave tomorrow afternoon. There may also a programme of events which the vice-president’s wife will undertake while in T&T.
Finance Minister Larry Howai said two weeks ago that during the Caricom leaders’ visit to T&T to meet Biden, the Government would hold talks with the leaders on their complaints about CAL/LIAT and fuel subsidy issues. St Vincent and the Grenadines and other islands have voiced such concerns. Howai, however, said the Government first had to take care of CAL—now restructuring out of a $700 million loss—before seeing to the external issues.