CARICOM Secretary-General Mr. Edwin Carrington has welcomed the introduction of legislation by the Government of Belize to change its constitution to allow for the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

A bill was introduced in the Belize Parliament on Friday 6 February to replace the United Kingdom-based Privy Council with the CCJ as the Central American CARICOM Member State’s final court of appeal.

A pleased Mr. Carrington said that the news of Belize’s action could not come at a better time as events around the Community were clearly showing the need for the CCJ.

“There are issues which are now arising which properly would have come before the Court,” he added.

He agreed with the comments of Prime Minister of Belize, the Hon Said Musa who told the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Caribbean Service last week that “we’ve been discussing this thing ad-nauseam for over a decade …it’s no use dilly-dallying over the issue.”

Mr. Carrington said that like Mr. Musa he hoped that Belize’s action will prod other Member States towards moving to complete the steps necessary for the establishment of the CCJ.

The Agreement to establish the Court came into force in July 2002.