It is with distinct pleasure that I welcome you most warmly, Ambassador, to the Headquarters of the Caribbean Community. Here you will find among our staff what can almost be termed a microcosm of the fifteen-member CARICOM regional organisation.

Excellency, the United States of America and CARICOM have, over the years, enjoyed a friendly and fruitful relationship, that relationship has been underpinned by many factors including our shared common democratic values and traditions.

The year 2006 Excellency, has been especially active for relations between CARICOM and the United States. In March, CARICOM Foreign Ministers were most pleased to meet with your Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice in The Bahamas. You will also recall that in April of this year, CARICOM Trade Ministers met with the then United States Representative, Mr. Rob Portman, to build on CARICOM-US trade relations. More recently, in September in New York, our Foreign Ministers held further discussions with the Secretary of State, in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

One of the more important decisions emanating from the March meeting with the Secretary of States was the agreement to re-institute the earlier-created Trade United States and CARICOM Trade Investment Council (TIC) as an important forum for dialogue on trade relations among our countries. Two weeks ago, following on that decision, CARICOM, under the leadership of Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin La Rocque, met with your representatives in Washington for the first meeting of the reinstituted TIC. It was an important launch for our future trade relations. CARICOM looks forward to continuing the dialogue on these vital trade-related issues with your government, within the context of that framework.

Excellency the meaningful dialogue that is taking place between our countries transcends trade and economic issues. Only yesterday your country’s Secretary for Homeland Security, Secretary Michael Chertoff met with the Honourable Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Patrick Manning and CARICOM officials in Trinidad and Tobago to discuss security matters for Cricket World Cup 2007 among other matters.

Realising the harsh economic and other realities that face our countries, CARICOM welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with the United States on matters of mutual interest including security, trade, disaster mitigation and drug interdiction. Such collaboration helps to provide an environment that will for our part facilitate sustainable growth and development of our Caribbean countries - the so-called Third Border of the United States. Perhaps most important of all the Region further appreciates the support already received from your Government in the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, its flagship activity. So far that assistance has been mainly through the USAID funding of the CARICOM Legal Drafting Facility. We look forward to even greater assistance.

Excellency, the Region recognises the formidable task that faces the international community in the fight against terrorism. The Fifth Anniversary of the September 11 attacks did not go unnoticed in the Caribbean as we too cannot forget that a significant number of our Caribbean nationals died on that day which will forever live in infamy. Rest assured, Excellency, that CARICOM stands in solidarity with all countries involved in the fight against this scourge and will work with like-minded countries at bilateral as well as multi-lateral levels for its eradication. Humanity deserves no less.

One of the more anticipated events on our calendar next year is the desire by CARICOM for a Conference on the Caribbean to be held in Washington. This Conference is intended to provide an enhanced framework for cementing and accelerating the process of cooperation among our governments and people. This initiative should also provide CARICOM with an opportunity to reach out to the Caribbean Diaspora in the United States of America. In this context, CARICOM was pleased with your President’s decision to declare June 2006 as Caribbean-American Heritage Month, in recognition of the contribution of Caribbean Americans to the development of the United States. CARICOM is eager for the institutionalisation of this Heritage Month as an annual event.

Excellency, by being proposed as your country’s Plenipotentiary Representative to the Caribbean Community, you have been given a most important assignment by your Government – that is to continue to strengthen the relationship that exists between your country and the Caribbean Community as a whole. This assignment demonstrates the confidence which your Government has in your knowledge and capabilities to execute these duties with great efficiency. Therefore Excellency, I accept with pleasure the Letters accrediting you as the Plenipotentiary Representative of the United States of America to the Caribbean Community.

I wish you a very successful tour of duty in Guyana and I look forward to working with you as we seek to advance relations between the Caribbean Community and the United States of America. Long live our Cooperation.

Thank you.