Today on the Trip
Saturday, May 10, 1997
On Saturday, May 10, President Clinton spent the day in Barbados, meeting
with Caribbean leaders. Major events of the President's day
included:
Caribbean Summit
Reception and Lunch with
Leaders
Bilateral Meeting with President
Preval of Haiti
Embassy Staff Meet and Greet
Caribbean Summit
President Clinton attended the Caribbean Summit. It was the first time
an American
President has met with the Caribbean heads of government in the
Caribbean region itself. Each Caribbean nation was represented by its
head of government.
Leaders attending included:
Prime Minister Lester Bird of Antigua and Barbuda
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham of the Bahamas
Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados
Prime Minister Edison James of Dominica
Vice President Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal of the Dominican Republic
Prime Minister Keith Mitchell of Grenada
President Samuel A. Hinds of Guyana
President Rene Preval of Haiti
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson of Jamaica
Prime Minister Denzil Douglas of St. Kitts and Nevis
Prime Minister Vaughn Lewis of St. Lucia
Prime Minister James Mitchell of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Prime Minister Jules Wijdenbosch of Suriname
Prime Minister Basdeo Panday of Trinidad and Tobago
During the Caribbean Summit the leaders discussed ways to increase
regional
cooperation on issues such as security and law enforcement, trade
and
development,
counternarcotics, money laundering, and the environment. The leaders
also
discussed economic diversification and efforts to enhance regional
economic
integration. After the Summit, the leaders traveled to the Prime
Minister's residence,
Ilaro Court, for a press conference and signing ceremony.
Reception and Lunch with Leaders
After the press conference, President Clinton attended an informal
lunch with the other summit participants.
Bilateral Meeting with President Preval of Haiti
President Clinton met with President Preval to applaud Haiti's
participation at the
Caribbean Summit and to encourage Haiti to develop closer ties with
the
Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) nations. (CARICOM was formed in 1973 to
facilitate the
economic and political integration of the English-speaking Caribbean
states.) Presently, Haiti maintains observer status in CARICOM and is the
sole
francophone state participating in the predominantly Anglophone
organization.
Embassy Staff Meet and Greet
President Clinton met with U.S. Embassy staff and families in Barbados
at the American Ambassador's Residence, "Las Cibeles" (Las Sea-BELL-es).
Following an
introduction by Ambassador Jeanette Hyde, the President delivered
brief remarks.
Embassy Bridgetown has a strong regional focus. The U.S. Embassy in
Barbados currently is accredited to seven independent nations of the eastern
Caribbean (Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and
Nevis, St. Lucia,
and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and provides consular services
to
American
citizens in the nearby European dependent territories.
Friday, May 9, 1997
Thursday, May 8,
1997
Wednesday, May 7, 1997
Tuesday, May 6, 1997
President Clinton's Trip to Mexico, Costa Rica, and
Barbados
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