Gonsalves urges CARICOM to restore oil pact with Venezuela

Amid spiralling oil prices fuelled by the ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe, St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves is calling for the restoration of the PetroCaribe oil pact between CARICOM and Venezuela.

At the just-concluded 43rd CARICOM heads of government meeting, Gonsalves clamoured for the United States to lift sanctions imposed on the oil-rich South America neighbour and urged fellow CARICOM heads of government to consider returning to the oil pact, which saw Venezuela offering concessionary payment terms to oil-dependent Caribbean countries, to offset the impact of the spike in global oil prices.

“Clearly the [oil] prices are rising and [for] all sorts of products concerning energy,” Gonsalves said at the meeting, while noting the spin-off effects on the production of fertiliser.

“It is only natural that we put this issue square on the table,” he said.

Gonsalves added that when he met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro 10 weeks ago in Caracas, they had dialogue about the resumption of the arrangement between Venezuela and CARICOM.

“All things being equal, there would be a 35 per cent off the top [and] upfront,” he said.

The Venezuelan government in May indicated that there was no resentment towards the Holness administration after Jamaica compulsorily acquired Caracas’ 49-per-cent stake in the Petrojam refinery amid the threat of sanctions from Washington.

“We have never closed the door. We have always been there and willing to cooperate again,” said Venezuela’s chargé d’affaires in Kingston, José Antonio Sánchez Vegas, in a May Gleaner interview.

‘FRUITFUL’ DISCUSSIONS

Meanwhile, the chair of the 43rd Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Governments, Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, has characterised the three days of discussions as “fruitful”.

Almost 200 delegates, 15 member states, four associate members, 13 institutions; secretary general of the United Nations; secretary general of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (OACPS); secretary general of the Association of Caribbean States; and Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs of Saudi Arabia, attended the meetings.

Senator Kamina Johnson-Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, represented Jamaica.

Santokhi reiterated his stance on the need for partnership among the nations.

“Earlier, I stated that we must form a coalition of willingness. This is needed in order to be enabled to achieve set goals and continuality, raise the bar on effectiveness of this beautiful organisation,” he said.

He then urged members not to operate as though it was ‘business as usual’.

“We have to pave the way for future generation,” he added, noting that firm foundations had to be established and built in order to change the way in which CARICOM conducts its affairs and how it implements decisions taken to advance the integration process and the lives of the people within communities.

The meetings focused on four key areas of the food security, energy, industrial policy and finance.

Regarding these concerns, Santokhi stated that a two-prong strategy for a programme of action had been established. It would involve a proactive focus on the environment and the development of resilience through regional coordinating mechanisms and local capacity-building mechanisms to source and recognise climate finance.

Regarding the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), it was agreed to permit the free movement of labourers, such as domestic, agricultural and security personnel, within the Caribbean.

There are two sets of decisions that needed to be made within the context of the CSME, according to Dr Carla Barnett, secretary general of CARICOM. The first involves adjustments to the agreed-upon and clarified definitions of the various kinds of labour, and amending pertinent legislation to reflect these changes.

The second set of decisions are to deal with the elimination of non-tariff restrictions on the flow of animal products, as well as restrictions on agriculture.

By the end of July, meetings with the appropriate organisations, including veterinarians and agricultural health authorities, are to be held for reaching an agreement on the elimination of the bureaucratic procedures that are deemed excessive and to ensure that regulatory agencies are in one accord.

“Wherever those protective regulations are with the purpose of stopping transportation of agricultural commodities, those are where we need to sort it out,” she said.

“At the end of the day, it’s about ensuring that producers can ship their products, but that there is necessary regulation in place because we still do need to make sure that we are not moving agricultural produce, whether animal life or meat products or fruits and vegetables, that would cause pests to circulate throughout the region,” she said.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com