Not dividing CARICOM

JAMAICA USED Legislation to take over Venezuela’s 49 per cent stake in the state-owned Petrojam oil refinery. In his contribution to the debate in Gordon House at the time, Holness said: “We do not take this step lightly,” noting that Jamaica was always grateful to the people of Venezuela.

Pompeo’s visit to Jamaica is shrouded in controversy after CARICOM Chairman and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley dispensed with diplomacy and declared that she would not be sending a representative to join a group of seven from the region who met with the US secretary of state here.

The US top diplomat held bilateral talks with Holness and other high-level delegates from Belize, St Kitts and Nevis, The Bahamas, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, St Lucia, and St Maarten.

Responding to concerns that the US was attempting to divide the region, Pompeo brushed aside the suggestion yesterday, saying: “There is no intent from the United States to divide CARICOM.

Not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow. We want to invite them all to be part of the economic prosperity, security zone that is this region.”

SOVEREIGNTY

Holness echoed similar sentiments, contending that Jamaica had not engaged in any policy that would divide CARICOM.

“In modern diplomatic relations, in the exercise of foreign policy, we all must respect the sovereignty of countries to determine how they structure their foreign policy. When friends ask to be hosted, or for us to host them, we are friends, and so we do that. We are friends with the United States, and so we are happy to host here. Not to the exclusion of anyone, and if anyone wanted to attend, all they had to do was signal,” Holness insisted.

Pompeo, in his earlier presentation at Jamaica House, said that the US was working to assist countries across the region to become more attractive to private sector infrastructure investments.