Chairman of the Conference, Dr. the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada;
Host Prime Minister the Honourable Patrick Manning;
Other Honourable Heads of Government;
Distinguished delegates;
Invited guests;
Members of Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat and Representatives of Institutions of the CARICOM family;
Members of the media;
Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me warmly welcome you to this Tenth Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.

I also pass on the greetings of the CARICOM Secretary-General, Edwin Carrington, who is unable to be with us because of an emergency in his family. We are all aware of the Secretary General's tireless commitment to the regional integration process, and our thoughts are with him at this time. He has our solidarity and best wishes. Even at this time, his own thoughts are with us at this meeting and he called last night to convey his support and wish that this meeting will make the decisions that will enable us to put the finishing touches on the edifice of the CSME that will shelter and protect us from the ravages of the hurricane globalisation.

We are extremely grateful to Prime Minister Manning for his usual graciousness in hosting this important meeting at this time. It seems fitting for us to return to the country, which saw the signing of the original Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973, to complete the establishment of the CSME 31 short years later.

The Conference, when it decided that a Special Session was necessary to focus on the CSME implementation, was conscious that regional and world developments continue to show that a Single Market and Economy is the best option for CARICOM Members States to face the onslaught of globalisation, and at the same time address the expectations of CARICOM nationals. We cannot falter, then, in the pursuit of our goal; we have to act as if our lives depended on it, because they do.

We have made the commitment that the Single Market would be established by the end of December by 2005, and our people are depending on the removal of restrictions within the allotted time frame. There is much work to be done and the CARICOM Secretariat will continue to play its supporting role in assisting facilitation of this critical process.

But even as we seek to complete the establishment of the Single Market, we start to focus on ensuring that the necessary supportive economic environment is established, so this and the issues of our production sectors begin to take centre stage. Completing the establishment of the Single Market, even while an on-going exercise, requires that we ensure that requirements for the Single Economy are given the same detailed planning as the Single Market, with an agreed timetable and priority initiatives that are reliable and realistic.

This deepening of our integration arrangements will also require new institutional arrangements and fundamental changes in the way we operate in the Region.

We cannot treat with the CSME without touching on the external developments and the recent experiences, which have highlighted the vulnerability of our small States on which the recent hurricanes, in particular, have left their mark. Our agenda is a weighty one. The outcomes of this Tenth Special Meeting will have far reaching implications for our Region and its peoples.

This meeting therefore represents a defining moment for our Region.