Marco Rubio to engage CARICOM leaders at summit in St Kitts and Nevis

By Ashford Peters

The 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM being held in St Kitts and Nevis, is expected to take on two interesting features with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Persad-Bissessar, who arrived in St. Kitts Monday afternoon, is expected to address Tuesday’s opening ceremony, and Rubio is expected to travel to St. Kitts Wednesday to engage Caribbean leaders at the conference.

A press release from the US State Department said Rubio would “engage with Caribbean leaders to advance shared priorities, including strengthening regional security, deepening cooperation to combat illegal immigration and illicit trafficking, and promoting economic growth, health, and energy security across the Caribbean”

Washington said that during his visit, Rubio “will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to working with CARICOM member states to enhance stability and prosperity in our hemisphere”.

Rubio’s visit comes when there is much tension in the region over US military operations in the Caribbean Sea, and close on the heels of the Feb. 13 and 16 deadly strikes on two vessels which left seven people dead, two having been identified as St Lucians.

The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a Feb. 13 press release that “Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations”.

According to SOUTHCOM, “intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations”.

Three “narco-terrorists” were killed during this action, the SOUTHCOM release said.  

In a Feb. 17 press release, SOUTHCOM again said Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted three lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.

According to SOUTHCOM, three male narco-terrorists were killed during the military actions in the Caribbean.

US authorities have not given specific locations of the Feb. 13 and 16 strikes, but fisherfolk and authorities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have confirmed that the Feb. 13 and 16 strikes occurred in the country’s territorial waters.

However, there has been no report of any Vincentian fisherman having been injured, killed, or reported missing in those two lethal strikes.

Security measures have been beefed up ahead of Rubio’s visit.

The US and CARICOM have two very important initiatives — the Caribbean Basin and Security Initiative (CBSI) and the Shipriders Agreement

The CBSI is a U.S.-led regional security partnership established in 2010 with CARICOM nations and the Dominican Republic aimed at reducing illicit trafficking, increasing public safety, and promoting social justice through training, equipment, and policy support.

The US Shiprider Agreements in the Caribbean are bilateral maritime law enforcement treaties allowing US Coast Guard (USCG) personnel to embark on Caribbean nation vessels (and vice versa) to combat drug trafficking, smuggling, and illegal fishing.

They were initiated in the late 1990s but have since been revised.

Persad-Bissessar is attending her first CARICOM conference since returning to office in April, having opted out of the CARICOM heads meeting in Jamaica last year.

Having allowed the US to establish military assets on her country in its Jan. 3 military strike in Caracas, Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro, the Trinidad and Tobago prime minister had been at odds with CARICOM.

She has referred to the regional body as an unreliable partner, distancing Port of Spain from some positions taken by CARICOM, expressing concern over what she has described as inappropriate meddling in domestic affairs of some member states.

SVG’s new Prime Minister Godwin Friday is attending his first CARICOM conference, having been elected in the November general elections which saw his New Democratic Party defeating the Ralph Gonsalves-led Unity Labour Party that had ruled since March 2001.