Summit ends without adoption of declaration

Summit ends without adoption of declaration



CMC

Monday, April 20, 2009

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) - The Fifth Summit of the Americas ended here yesterday with hemispheric leaders failing to adopt the 'Declaration of Port of Spain' that would have provided a blueprint for the future socio-economic development of the Americas, Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Patrick Manning has said.


"The declaration itself did not have the approval of all 34 countries. Some countries had reservations about some elements of it and that is understandable because it is very difficult with 34 countries meeting and negotiating positions," Manning said.


Prior to the summit, the member countries of the Alternative Bolivarian for the People's of Our Americas (ALBA), which also includes Nicaragua and Bolivia had vowed not to sign the 'Declaration of Port of Spain' in solidarity with Cuba that has not been invited to this nor previous summits.


Addressing the closing ceremony, Manning, the host of the three-day event, said that the declaration, which had negotiated ahead of the April 17-19 forum, did not "really reflect" the changing global and political and social environment characterised by the international financial crisis.


The summit organisers had said that the Declaration of Port of Spain was an attempt to define a renewed hemispheric co-operation agenda for sustainable development in the Americas and addresses the main themes of the summit 'Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability'.


Manning said that the retreat by the leaders yesterday had discussed also the question of Haiti and that President Rene Preval had put forward several proposals for consideration in improving the social and economic lives of people of one of the poorest nations in the world.


"None of us could rest comfortably in the knowledge that such a situation rests on our doorsteps and therefore there was a general spirit of commitment and co-operation in doing something about Haiti," he said.


Overall, Manning said he was "extremely pleased" with the outcome of the three-day meeting and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the success of the deliberations had confounded critics who had anticipated a battle between member states.