(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Honourable Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago begins a mission to five Member States on Wednesday 14 June with a visit to Guyana.

Prime Minister Manning, whose term as Chairman of CARICOM, ends on 30 June, is visiting his colleague Heads of Government to bring them up to date on initiatives he pursued during his term. CARICOM Secretary-General His Excellency Edwin Carrington will accompany the Chairman on his mission which will see visits to Suriname and Barbados on Wednesday and to Belize and Jamaica on Friday 16 June.

During his visit to Guyana apart from his meeting with His Excellency the President Mr Bharrat Jagdeo, the Chairman will fulfil a promise made earlier this year to have another session with the staff of the CARICOM Secretariat. Prime Minister Manning visited the Secretariat headquarters, at Turkeyen on the outskirts of Georgetown on 9 January and indicated he would return prior to the end of his term.