Obama llega a Jamaica para discutir con la Caricom agenda energética y de seguridad
Energy and security top agenda for talks between regional leaders, Obama
ENERGY and security will dominate the discussions between Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders and United States President Barack Obama during their summit here tomorrow, the senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Ricardo Zuniga, said yesterday.
Speaking at a White House media briefing, Zuniga described plans for the meeting as a practical agenda to continue work already started.
«With the Caricom leaders, we are going to speak about some issues that we dealt with to a significant degree already, including security and cooperation through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative,» he said, adding that following the meeting earlier this year with US Vice President Joe Biden, «energy security and our shared efforts to promote a more diverse, cleaner and more sustainable energy future for the Caribbean will be discussed».
Obama, who is travelling to Panama for the Summit of the Americas over the weekend, will meet with Caricom leaders at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies.
The prime ministers of Barbados, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago will address the summit on the topics Competitiveness/Prosperity, Renewable Energy and Security respectively.
Ben Rhodes, US deputy national security advisor for strategic communications, said concerns raised by regional leaders about the continued absence of Cuba from previous Summits of the Americas had influenced the US’ decision to improve diplomatic relations with Havana.
Rhodes said improved US-Cuba relations should reduce impediments to better engaging the hemisphere. Cuba will attend its first Summit of the Americas in Panama.
«Frankly, it made no sense that the United States consistently made the decision to isolate ourselves from the rest of the Americas because we were clinging to a policy that wasn’t working.
«Some of the critics of our approach said if we just stuck it out for a few more years, the sanctions would achieve their desired effects, but that is not we saw. …And part of the reason why, is that we were not joined in imposing those sanctions by any other country, because no other country agreed with our approach,» Rhodes said.
During Obama’s bilateral meeting with Jamaica’s prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaica’s debt will be among matters to be discussed.
Obama will become the first US president to visit Jamaica since 1982 and Zuniga said «we’ll have an opportunity to speak with Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller about our strong support for Jamaica’s work to deal with debt crisis, a fiscal crisis… and its strong performance in working with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and others to address that.
Following his summit with regional leaders, President Obama will have a town hall meeting with young leaders from across the Caribbean.
«This is similar to the types of events you see him do in South-East Asia and Africa where he will be able to focus on our commitment to partner with the youths of the region.
«Then there will be a wreath laying ceremony and then we will depart from Kingston that night,» Rhodes added.
Newly elected St Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris, who will be attending his first regional summit since his election last February, said he was looking forward to the meeting as it will give the region a further boost in its relationship with the United States.
«This is an important summit. President Obama by coming to us is signalling the continuing interest of the USA in constructive engagement in the Caribbean. The areas which seem most profitable relate to security, renewable energy and the competitiveness of the region. We look forward to more concrete outcomes and deliverables,» he added.
Regional leaders will meet in caucus today prior to the summit with President Obama.
Obama visita Jamaica previo a Cumbre de las Américas
El presidente de los Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, inicia este miércoles su primera visita oficial a Jamaica, donde tiene previsto un encuentro con representantes de la Comunidad del Caribe (Caricom), previo a la VII Cumbre de las Américas. Obama llegará a ese país durante las últimas horas del día; luego de que su equipo de seguridad haya dispuesto todas las medidas seguridad. Hasta el momento la Casa Blanca noha ofrecido mayores detalles sobre el motivo de su visita a esa nación.
Por su parte el Ejecutivo local informó que la primera ministra, Portia Simpson Miller recibirá al jefe de Estado norteamericano para evaluar las relaciones comerciales y nuevos acuerdos en materia energética. Este jueves se tiene previsto que Obama se reúna con representantes diplomáticos del Caricom, para conversar sobre seguridad regional, energías renovables y la competitividad del mercado.
Agenda oculta
Especialistas internacionales indica que el verdadero objetivo de la llegada de Obama a Jamaica es minimizar el papel estratégico de la alianza establecida por los países del Caricom con Venezuela a través de Petrocabribe, según el portal web de La Iguana TV. Se trata de la primera visita de un mandatario estadounidense a Jamaica desde 1982, cuando el entonces presidente Ronald Reagan intentó reducir la influencia y papel desempeñado por la Revolución Cubana en el Caribe. Antigua y Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belice, Dominica, Granada, Guyana, Haití, Jamaica, Montserrat, Santa Lucía, San Cristóbal y Nieves, San Vicente y Granadinas, Surinam y Trinidad y Tobago han reiterado en varias oportunidades el respaldo contundente al Gobierno de Venezuela que encabezó el Comandante Hugo Chávez y que continuó el presidente Nicolás Maduro. De igual forma se le pedirá al mandatario que se levante el bloqueo que pese sobre Cuba desde hace más de 50 años.
En contexto: Esta visita a Jamaica se realiza previo a la Cumbre de las Américas que se celebrará este 10 y 11 de abril en Panamá, donde los Gobiernos de América Latina y el Caribe instarán al presidente Obama a derogar la orden ejecutiva del pasado 9 de marzo; donde Estados Unidos declara a Venezuela como una amenaza para su seguridad nacional.
