(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A Meeting of the Bureau of Heads to discuss the situation in Haiti is likely to be held in the margins of the upcoming Heads of Government Summit on Youth in Paramaribo, Suriname.

The Summit will be held 29-30 January 2010.

His Excellency Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of CARICOM pointed out that Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica and Chairman of the Community, has been consulting his colleagues continuously since the 12 January earthquake.

And a decision regarding Haiti’s assumption of the chairmanship of the Community would have to be made by Heads of Government, Secretary-General Carrington said Friday at a press conference hosted region-wide via video-conferencing.

Haiti was scheduled to take the reins of the Community in July but concerns have been raised about its ability to do so in the wake of the disaster.

The Secretary-General said that consideration would be given to “whether Haiti will want to and will be able to”’ assume the Chairmanship.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org