VHeadline News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue reports: Dominican Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit has been defending his country's membership in the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (Alba).

Speaking at the Caribbean Economic Community (Caricom) meeting in Georgetown (Guyana), Skerrit says Alba has provides the chance for member countries to set up significant opportunities and programmes. Criticizing those who cast a shadow over the organization, the Dominican Prime Minister recognizes the fact that some leaders and countries in the world are concerned with the poor and marginalized rather than paying attention to big business and the rich.

Skerrit has been fighting off a challenge from Jamaica's Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, who says membership of organizations outside Caricom has put regional sustainability at stake. Golding suggests some members are "going next door and finding greater comfort next door," showing that the priority that they ought to give to get the Caricom family working will be diminished.

Prime Minister Skerrit became annoyed when other members questioned some of the benefits that Caribbean members of Alba were receiving, stating that his government does not have to answer every question about its association with Alba. When asked whether Caricom should have a common foreign policy, the Dominican Prime Minister is of the opinion that it should be on certain matters and the result of consensus, insisting on every country has the right to take care of its citizens and forge alliances that will bring them a better standard of living.

The attack on Alba in the Caribbean would appear to represent an offensive on the part of US organizations to present Alba as a neo-Communist organization aimed at in planting Socialism in the region and fighting the USA. The offensive against Alba surged with the Honduran crisis.

At the Caricom conference, Guyana Prime Minister, Samuel Hynes says his country will struggle to make payments for oil supplied under Venezuela's Petrocaribe aid programme, while Belize Prime Minister, Dean Barrow is reported as criticizing a proposal that members of the program pay up to 80% of bills within 90 days instead of the current 60%.

Patrick J. O'Donoghue
news.editor@vheadline.com