Caribbean heads of states and other leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) list trade goals and regional cooperation high on their agenda for high-level talks with U.S. President George Bush at the White House June 20, 2007. This summit between CARICOM heads of states/governments is a major highlight of the Conference on the Caribbean 2007, June 19-21 in Washington, on the theme: “Conference on the Caribbean: A 20/20 Vision.”

CARICOM foreign ministers will meet with U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, members of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Sub-Committee of Western Hemisphere Affairs. CARICOM officials state that these latter discussions are expected to lead to a framework of cooperation for implementation “regardless of the composition of the executive branch of the United States Government.”

Chairman of the Conference’s major organizing body - the Washington-based CARICOM Caucus of Ambassadors – Ambassador Ellsworth John says, the government to government dialogue is “intended to establish the highest political commitment on behalf of the United States and CARICOM member states to a consensus-based program to stimulate growth, development and enhanced security in the region.”

CARICOM’s expectations include the opportunity for CARICOM leaders to raise issues on a number of topics: economic trade goals; immigration; crime and security; regional integration; cooperation on educational initiatives; possible expansion for collaborating on border security; a review of energy goals; and topics related to employment and development assistance, especially as they relate to Haiti.

According to the CARICOM secretariat, the U.S. Government is expected to bring to the table a schedule of issues, including “the promotion and strengthening of democratic institutions; topics related to economic growth and development such as the development of mechanisms to reduce trade barriers and ensure future technical dialogue; the strengthening of social capital through expanded cooperation in health care and education as a means of advancing regional prosperity; as well as security and environmental issues.”

Ambassador Ellsworth John indicates that the government-to-government meeting is considered vital to serve as a catalyst for a renewed, enlightened partnership between the United States and CARICOM member states. He hopes that one of the outcomes in the institutionalization of dialogue, as an ongoing mechanism, will be to further strengthen and develop the partnership with the United States in tangible and concrete ways at several levels.

The CARICOM secretariat, in a statement, indicates that these bilateral meetings are “especially crucial in the context of the advancement of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the implications of U.S. policy direction for regional integration. The United States is the region’s closest developed neighbor, its major trading partner, and home of the largest number of migrants from the Caribbean region. The policies adopted by the region could be bolstered by policies taken by the United States and at the same time domestic and foreign policy direction of the United States may impact the Caribbean economies.”

According to the secretariat, CARICOM delegations will meet members of both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and hold talks with the Diaspora. Caribbean leaders regard “The Conference on the Caribbean 2007” as one of the most forward-looking initiatives to emerge in CARICOM/United States relationships in recent years.