(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) CARICOM is approaching next week’s Conference on the Caribbean as the start of a new process of engagement between the Region and the United States.

More than 100 Caribbean officials will be in Washington for the Conference to be held in Washington DC from 19-21 June, and 700 persons have already registered. The highpoint is expected to be a meeting between the CARICOM Heads of Government and the President of the United States on Wednesday 20 June.

Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Chairman of CARICOM told a media briefing on Thursday 14 June that the Region was seeking to establish a “mature partnership” with the US and to craft new and better language through which to articulate that partnership.

The CARICOM Chair said the three-day conference represents an encounter between two civilizations - one economically dominant but with challenges; the other seeking to find its voice with a sense of purpose and maturity.

“The United States of America meets the Caribbean in this encounter where we share many issues, many concerns,” he pointed out.

CARICOM Secretary-General, H.E. Edwin Carrington said the landmark event was not merely a government to government opportunity for dialogue, but rather spanned a broader grouping that included fora to cater for Experts, the Private Sector and the Diaspora, all targeting a more secure neighbourhood.

Chair of the Caucus of Ambassadors in Washington, Ambassador Ellsworth John told the briefing that the Region was putting the necessary conditions in place for continued dialogue with the United States. “Once that framework is built, it is easier for there to be continuity,” Ambassador John said.

CARICOM Foreign Ministers will meet with the US State Department on Monday. The Opening Plenary of the Conference will be held on Tuesday 19 June at the World Bank under the theme `CARICOM Development in the 21st Century: Economic Growth with Social Equity’. The Experts, Private Sector and Diaspora Fora will run concurrently on Wednesday 20 June, Day Two of the Conference. The official closing ceremony will be held on the morning of Thursday 21 June at the OAS Hall of the Americas.