Foreign Affairs Minister
Paula Gopee-Scoon

In her biggest and most exciting professional day in which she welcomed US President Barack Obama to Trinidad and Tobago, Foreign Affairs Minister aula Gopee-Scoon made time for an exclusive interview with the Sunday Guardian on the Fifth Summit of the Americas.

Q: We are conducting this interview just before the start of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, so I ask you to speculate on how successful the leaders would be in completing the mandate spelled out in the declaration.

A: In the Declaration of Commitment of Port-of-Spain, there are a number of specific targets. These were the subjects of discussion and negotiations among delegates within the Summit Implementation Review Group. There was, therefore, the opportunity to ascertain what was achievable, manageable and could be implemented. Additionally, there were meetings of sectoral ministers—for example, education, labour, security and social development—during which a range of proposals were approved. Some of these—for example, childhood education, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Aids and access to safe and nutritious food—were incorporated into the declaration.  

Do Caricom leaders have unified and official positions on any specific matters?
Our partners in the hosting of the VSOA have been the members of Caricom. We have held extensive discussions on all the issues and, yes, there was a meeting of the minds on several of the matters—the economic and financial crisis, threats to the environment, security, health, governance.
There will be joint statements on the topical issues, the main pillars of the declaration: human prosperity, energy security and environmental sustainability.  

How is the Summit likely to benefit the fragile economies of the Caribbean?
The Summit will be the appropriate avenue through which our concerns can be articulated. Special mention was made of the vulnerabilities inherent in our small economies. There are, therefore, commitments to tackle these challenges. We are, however, operating within a globalised environment, so there are applicable rules and regulations, namely as members of the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank. Our ministers of finance will be requested to explore ways to ensure that these institutions understand the Summit mandates and assist. These systems are expected then to have an impact on overall development and capacity-building. These will be tailored to assist.

Is Trinidad and Tobago championing any particular matters, such as drug trans-shipment, deportation of criminals from the US, or revision of the Shiprider Agreement?
These issues are, indeed, valid, and have been examined within Caricom. There will, however, be no direct deliberations on these matters. The section on “Strengthening Public Security” covers a range of security-related challenges: illicit traffic in narcotic drugs, arms, persons, terrorism, criminal gangs and corruption.

What is this country’s position for the removal—by the United States—of the 47-year-old trade embargo against Cuba?
Caricom has maintained consistent relations with Cuba, and we can proudly attest to the support for the end of the trade embargo. Our voting record at the United Nations reflects this. We have local companies operating in Cuba, and we have opened an embassy in Havana.

Do you anticipate that major headway would be made on the agenda matter of closing the gap between the rich and poor?
The closing of the gap between the rich and the poor requires a multi-dimensional approach, and there are elements within the draft declaration that take into account the continuing disparities and inequalities. Within the pillar on “Promoting Human Prosperity,” there are specific proposals to elicit the co-ordination of all actors, public and private.

The matter of alternative energy sources is one that US President Barack Obama has been advocating. Does T&T, as an energy producer, have a policy position here?
The Government of T&T supports the development of renewable energy projects. There is support for the establishment of decentralised, self-sufficient systems that contribute to sustainable development. The Government has instructed the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries to formulate a Renewable Energy Policy Green Paper and to promote renewable energy development in T&T. There is joint collaboration between the UWI and UTT. On February 13, the Government appointed a ten-member Renewable Energy Committee with a wide-ranging mandate, including assessing the current state of research in T&T in solar thermal energy, photovoltaic, wind and wave energy and, of course, bio-fuels.

With several Latin countries pursuing new trade and political relations among themselves, are relations between Washington and Caricom and Latin America now evolving; and is the US losing some of its influence?
The US has been a close ally of Latin America and the Caribbean. There are viable trade links and interaction at all levels: political, economic, social, cultural, to name a few. Relations between states evolve over different periods and interests change. That being said, there is a consistent dialogue between Caricom and Latin America and the US. The Summits of the Americas’ process is one such avenue through which there is a ventilating of concerns. President Obama has, over the past few days, recognised that the US “has not pursued and sustained engagements with our neighbours.” He acknowledged that the progress of the US is closely tied to that throughout the Americas. There will, therefore, be a renewal and sustaining of the partnership. We must, therefore, be patient and wait to see how this unfolds.

Is it likely that a new T&T foreign policy would be devised as a result of this Summit?
The Government of T&T has recently reviewed its foreign policy and the new approach is based on diverse interests that include energy-based concerns, maintenance of markets, its manufacturing capabilities and security. We will be incorporating relevant concepts from the Declaration of Commitment into our development plans. It will not lead to a new foreign policy, but rather the elements would strengthen aspects of that policy.

T&T has been working toward the implementation of the mandates within the instruments from various Summits. A significant number of the decisions are already included within the Government’s development thrust, as well as Vision 2020. In the fields of education, social development, health, the disabled, youth, the aged, the list can go on, T&T has been facilitating the incorporation of the concepts from previous summits into our country’s policies and programmes.

Continues in tomorrow’s Guardian paper