Rowley, Caricom to meet Pompeo

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley

“There goes my Carnival.” Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley quipped that his Carnival celebration would be cut short after the Caricom delegation on Venezuela was invited on Tuesday to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Ash Wednesday.

He was speaking to reporters at a briefing following his return from an Inter-sessional meeting of Caricom in St Kitts and Nevis on Thursday night. The Caricom delegation is headed by the group’s chairman, Dr Timothy Harris, PM of St Kitts. Rowley said he had also scheduled some other meetings on the trip.

Rowley, an avid mas player will likely be unable to get a quick Tuesday jump-up as the delegation is scheduled to head to Washington DC that morning. Rowley admitted that Caricom had requested a meeting with Pompeo around the time the delegation had requested a meeting with the UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres in January. The group did not immediately hear back, and had actually forgotten about it, until they received the invitation from Pompeo. Rowley said he believed the meeting was “a step in the right direction.” He added he would be addressing the media on Sunday to elaborate more on his trip.

Pompeo and US Vice President Mike Pence, have been some of the strongest voices advocating for a change in the government of Venezuela. The US has even endorsed incumbent Nicolas Maduro’s challenger, Juan Guaido, as the rightful president of the country in the interim, until fresh elections are called.

In a statement following the meeting, Caricom reiterated its postion of non-interference and non-intervention, while also advocating for a greater involvement of international bodies, like the UN, especially in distributing humanitarian aid. It also called for meaningful dialogue between the conflicting parties in Venezuela.

“Caricom is deeply concerned by the recent further escalation of tensions in Venezuela and the ensuing increase in hardship and suffering of the population exacerbated by the imposition of sanctions. The people of Venezuela must be allowed to decide their own future in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter - non-intervention, non-interference, prohibition of the threat or use of force, respect for the rule of law, human rights and democracy.”

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