VZCZCXRO9068
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHSP #0388/01 2391754
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261754Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9367
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT OF SPAIN 000388 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR AND INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON TD
SUBJECT:  REGIONAL INTEGRATION: THE JOINT DECLARATION 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
REF:  Port of Spain 378 
 
¶1.  (SBU) An MFA source passed us the "Joint Declaration on 
Collaboration towards the achievement of the Single Economy and 
Political Integration among Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago" signed August 14 
in Port of Spain (text in para four).  As this is still not public, 
we ask that Embassies/Washington not/not share this document outside 
the USG or refer to having a copy.  We expect the document will 
become public fairly shortly and/or be passed to other Missions.  At 
the latest, since Parliament is expected to debate the declaration 
after its September 5 return, it likely will see the light of day by 
the middle of next month. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The document speaks for itself, but strikes us as an 
aspirational framework, with the "meat" still to be put on the bone. 
 As per ref, this may come through a study to be conducted over the 
next several months on how to advance toward the goals detailed in 
the declaration.  Also worth noting is that one clause of the Joint 
Declaration reads that "the achievement of the historically 
desirable (political integration) objective is predicated on the 
realization of constitutional reform in the signatory countries...." 
  Prime Minister Manning had been publicly talking about 
constitutional reform here even prior to August 14, saying a draft 
(also so far unseen) would be tabled in Parliament in the months to 
come. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Contrary to some media reporting, only Grenada, St Lucia, 
St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago signed the 
joint declaration on August 14, not Guyana.   PM Patrick Manning has 
been single-minded in seeking to advance this still vague 
integration plan since the signing and is currently on his second 
regional trip to promote the idea.  Jamaica reportedly is not 
interested and questions remain over Barbados, the Bahamas and 
Guyana. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Begin Joint Declaration text: 
 
The Governments of Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines, and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, 
 
RESOLVING in a true spirit of solidarity, cooperation and friendship 
borne of our shared membership in the Caribbean Community to advance 
the achievement of the Single Economy and appropriate Political 
Integration among the countries and peoples of the Caribbean; 
 
RECOGNISING the imperatives of responding in a more immediate manner 
to increasing changes in the international economic and political 
environment and the consequent need for the urgent re-organisation 
of our economies and governance arrangements for enhancing our 
development and beneficial integration into the global economy; 
 
DETERMINED to move to a new stage in the process of Caribbean 
integration by building on the progress achieved with the 
establishment of the Caribbean Community under the Revised Treaty of 
Chaguaramas Establishing the Caribbean Community including the 
CARICOM Single Market and Economy; 
 
RECOGNISING ALSO our common interest, within the context of the 
creation of the single market and economy, in promoting and 
accelerating sustainable economic and social development and closer 
political integration of the identified countries for the benefit of 
our peoples and in implementing policies to ensure that advances in 
economic integration are accompanied by parallel progress in other 
fields; 
 
COMMITTED to achieving the strengthening and the convergence of our 
economies and to establishing a single economy including, in 
accordance with the provisions of this Declaration, a single and 
stable currency; 
 
RESOLVED to continue the process of creating an ever closer union 
among the peoples of the Caribbean on the basis of the principles of 
equality and mutual benefit; 
AWARE that the issue of reform of the respective Constitutions is 
engaging the attention of the Governments and Member States of the 
Caribbean Community; 
 
CONSIDERING the further steps to be taken in order to advance 
Caribbean integration in pursuit of the goal of greater Caribbean 
unity; 
 
COGNISANT of the decision of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean 
States to establish an Economic Union by 2009; 
 
DECLARE our intention to establish a framework for closer 
collaboration towards the achievement of the Single Economy by 2011 
and appropriate Political Integration by 2013 in the Caribbean 
 
PORT OF SP 00000388  002 OF 003 
 
 
Community and to this end have agreed on this statement of our joint 
commitment and purpose, the scope and content of which are set out 
hereunder: 
 
Purpose of the Declaration 
 
The signatories agree that this Joint Declaration is aimed at 
furthering the objectives of the Caribbean Community and at 
reinforcing and accelerating the process of integration now taking 
place under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Towards this end, the 
signatory countries resolve that no initiative associated with the 
implementation of this Joint Declaration shall undermine the single 
market or the economic cohesion established by the Revised Treaty of 
Chaguaramas, or constitute a barrier to or discrimination in trade 
or distort competition between the signatory countries and the other 
Member States of the Caribbean Community. 
 
Participation of other Member States 
 
Participation in this framework for closer collaboration among the 
signatory countries of this Joint Declaration shall be open to all 
Member States of the Caribbean Community which wish to commit to the 
achievement of the single economy and appropriate political 
integration. The signatory countries undertake to respect 
scrupulously the rights under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and 
Treaty of Basseterre of those Member States which are not signatory 
countries to this Joint Declaration. 
 
Implementation of the Joint Declaration 
 
The signatory countries hereby undertake to conclude a framework 
agreement on sustainable economic, social and political development 
that commits them in areas of common interest to: 
 
(a)  move beyond the characterisation in the Rose Hall Declaration 
of CARlCOM as being a grouping of sovereign States in order to 
achieve the full expression of the CARlCOM Single Market and Economy 
and the ample measure of political, economic and social cooperation 
required for the development of the CSME; 
 
(b)  facilitate the development and implementation of the agreements 
necessary for the achievement of the Single Economy, including the 
Agreement for the Development of Financial Services, the Framework 
for the Integration of the Capital Market, the Investment Policy 
Harmonisation (Caribbean Investment Code), Framework for the 
Harmonisation of Fiscal Incentives, Framework for Fiscal Policy 
Harmonisation and the Framework for Monetary Cooperation; 
 
(c)  build on the existing institutional structures in the Caribbean 
Community to achieve closer political integration in specific 
functional areas - foreign policy coordination; common overseas 
diplomatic and consular representation; mutual legal assistance in 
criminal matters; and national security cooperation; 
 
(d)  foster domestic dialogue in all signatory countries on the 
modalities for the achievement of closer political integration, 
recognising that the achievement of this historically desirable 
objective is predicated on the realisation of constitutional reform 
in the signatory countries that are desirous of forging closer 
political integration; 
 
(e)  create the institutional structures and mechanisms to provide 
advice, foster dialogue and concretise plans for advancing the 
achievement of the, single economy and closer political integration; 
 
 
(f)  fashion an enabling environment for the achievement of closer 
political integration by establishing structures and mechanisms that 
are designed to accelerate the achievement among the signatory 
countries of the objectives of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas 
including the CARlCOM Single Market and Economy; 
 
(g)  provide the necessary financial and human resources to identify 
and advise on the modalities to achieve the single economy by 2011 
and appropriate political integration by 2013. 
 
Specific Agreements 
 
Where necessary, specific agreements shall be concluded between the 
signatory countries in order to outline and implement particular 
concrete measures that will be needed in order to achieve the 
overall goal of sustainable trade, economic and technical 
cooperation and closer political integration to our mutual benefit. 
 
 
Dispute Resolution 
 
Any difference arising from the interpretation or application of 
this Joint Declaration shall be resolved in a friendly manner 
through direct negotiations among the signatory countries in 
 
PORT OF SP 00000388  003 OF 003 
 
 
accordance with the spirit that led to its signing. 
 
Signature and Ratification 
 
¶1.  The present Joint Declaration shall be open for signature at any 
time by any Member State of the Caribbean Community. The signatory 
countries accept that implementation of the undertakings outlined in 
this Joint Declaration will be subject to ratification by the 
respective signatory countries. 
 
¶2.  The countries that have signed this declaration on the 14th 
August 2008 undertake to ratify it by December 31st 2008 and 
countries that have not signed today will be encouraged to sign and 
ratify by 31st December 
¶2008. 
 
 
 
 
 ¶3.   Ratifications of this Joint Declaration shall be communicated 
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and 
Tobago. 
 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the representatives of the following Member 
States of the Caribbean Community have signed this Joint Declaration 
 
 
DONE at Port of Spain on the 14th day of August, 2008 in the English 
language. 
 
Signed by 
 
Tillman Thomas (Grenada) 
Stevenson King (Saint Lucia) 
Ralph Gonsalves (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) 
Patrick Manning (Trinidad) 
 
 
AUSTIN