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Friday, September 24, 2004
Prime Ministers, Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago, Roosevelt Skerritt of Dominica, Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda addressed the UN 59th General Assembly on the problems facing small islands. All their speeches included pleas for help in the aftermath of Hurricanes Charlie, Ivan, Jeanne. Prime Minister Manning described the extent of the damage to the islands and Grenada in particular. The prime Minister visited Grenada before his trip to New York. Manning himself is still recuperating from heart surgery. It is reported that his visit brought tears to the eyes of Grenadas Prime Minster. Dr. Keith Mitchell when Mr. Manning arrived at Dr. Mitchells home. However, Manning took his time at the UN to speak on the effect the World Trade Organisation, WTO and the European Unions (EU) actions in particular, on the sugar and banana industries in the Caribbean and urged a more compassionate approach to economic policy in the region. INSERT
Prime Minister Gonsalves indicated hurricane Ivan, in 2 hours, transformed Grenada from a thriving middle income economy to a country without an economy and infrastructure. He called for more on the environmental issues affecting the region and revisited the unceremonious removal of elected Haitian President, Jean Bertrande Aristide
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