CARICOM chairman and St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew has said Trinidad and Tobago was informed and invited to a retreat in Nevis where the decision was taken on the reappointment of Caricom Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett.
In a letter dated April 8 to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Drew stated that all member states were properly informed of the retreat where the decision was taken and that Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers did not attend the Nevis retreat because of personal issues with using the water-taxi transit.
Drew said all member states had been “duly informed” of the programme of events and draft agenda for the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government held in St Kitts and Nevis from February 24 to 27.
He said this included which matters were scheduled for plenary, caucus and the retreat of Heads only.
Drew said all Heads of Government had also been advised of the retreat’s date and venue through official correspondence before the conference and by follow-up communication during the meeting.
The Prime Minister said the retreat’s programme of work included agenda items on geopolitical developments and the financing and governance of the community—a heading under which matters related to the Secretariat’s operations and finances would normally arise.
He noted that Persad-Bissessar left St Kitts and Nevis on the evening of February 25, one day before the February 26 retreat.
Saying he considered Trinidad and Tobago’s participation important, Drew said he enquired whether Sobers could attend in her place.
According to Drew, Sobers declined, citing personal discomfort with using the water-taxi service to Nevis, which the chairman described as a standard mode of transport in the federation.
“He indicated that he feared he would get seasick,” Drew wrote.
Drew stated that it was during that retreat that Heads of Government considered and agreed to Barnett’s reappointment under Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which he said places reappointments within the remit of the Conference.
He added that Barnett was not present in the room during the discussion. Drew also disclosed that Heads agreed to delay the public announcement as a matter of courtesy to first inform leaders who had not been present.
He said he personally tried to contact those leaders by e-mail and telephone before any public statement was made, but was unable to reach Persad-Bissessar and received no response to his e-mail.
Drew concluded the letter stating he remained available to speak with the Prime Minister and provided his phone number.
On Thursday, Sobers said Drew’s response to Trinidad and Tobago’s concerns was unsatisfactory.
Persad-Bissessar requested that Sobers respond to Drew and a letter was sent to the Caricom chairman dated April 9, refuting his claims that Sobers had cited issues with using a ferry and demanding that answers be provided as to why Trinidad and Tobago was excluded from the process.
