by RICKEY SINGH

CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) leaders ended their four-day 29th summit in Antigua and Barbuda on Friday night with a range of decisions announced in a 15-page communique that offered two significant surprises.

First, simply a one paragraph statement on Page 7 of what is the central objective of the region's economic integration movement, establishment of the CARICOMSingle Market and Economy (CSME).

Secondly, the omission of any reference to what remains an unresolved and highly contentious issue – free movement of CARICOM nationals, including those eligible for the community's skilled certificate, to live and work.

Another significant feature was their failure to issue an expected "declaration" on the proposed signing not later than August 30 of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) initialled last December in Barbados between the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) and the European Commission (EC), executive arm of the European Union.

Although not officially stated, this resulted from a compromise formula to delay expression of a consensus to facilitate Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo to first go ahead with his proposed national consultations of stakeholders to have a better assessment of their positions on various provisions, before committing his government to signing the accord.

The released statement, which noted that "several of the Heads of Government (including Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago) expressed their readiness to sign" also welcomed "confirmation" of Barbados for the official signing arrangement either on July 30 or August 30.

However, they also considered "possible implications of some provisions of the EPA, particularly for the designated Less Developed Countries of CARICOM".

Food, energy and climate: Among decisions taken after three days of intense deliberations at plenary and caucus sessions (the latter involving Heads of Government only, plus one adviser each) covered three sectors currently under focus – food security; energy costs and climate change.

In this context, they agreed on "the need for governments to provide the necessary budgetary support and incentives for investment in agriculture, particularly at this time".

They also agreed to establish a regional task force to "give direction on the way forward" to cope with the implications of climate change.

Crime and Security: Agreed to "deepen cooperation" between CARICOM and Interpol as part of new approaches to deal with escalating violent crimes and threats to national/regional security.

They also approved the implementation "in the shortest possible time", of the CARICOM Travel Card, to be known as CARIPASS. This mechanism is to facilitate hassle-free travel within the region for nationals and legal residents of CARICOM without compromising security arrangements in place. Details will be forthcoming.

Those governments which have concluded their internal processes for participation in a Maritime and Airspace Security Cooperation Agreement as well as the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Treaty are now free to proceed with signing while others will do so a little later.

External Affairs: In reviewing the political crisis situation in Zimbabwe, the leaders recorded their "condemnation of the unacceptable trampling of the democratic and electoral processes in Zimbabwe . . . ".

And,while acknowledging what they view as "the complexity and sensitivity of the situation in Zimbabwe", they called on the Southern African Development Community and the African Union "to use their best efforts to find a negotiated outcome to this flawed election in order to avoid a further deepening of the social, economic and political crisis for the people of Zimbabwe, and its harmful effects on neighbouring states . . . ".

Appointments: The Heads announced their decision to appoint the Trinidad-born community national, Henry Gill, a specialist in international relations and international trade, as the new director-general of the CRNM. He succeeds Jamaica-born Dr Richard Bernal who resigned effective last month after seven years as director-general.