By Clint Chan Tack Saturday, September 19 2009

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SUMMIT TIME AGAIN: Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Mmasekgoa Masire- Mwamba fields questions from reporters at the International Financial Cent...

COMMONWEALTH Deputy Secretary-General Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba yesterday said claims of an alleged agreement between Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr will not affect the hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Trinidad and Tobago from November 27 to 29.

Masire-Mwamba said so while speaking at a news conference at the International Financial Centre tower in Port-of-Spain, hours after holding talks with Manning and Foreign Affairs Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, about ongoing preparations for CHOGM.

The alleged agreement between Manning and Bakr was contained in an affidavit from Bakr which the Court of Appeal and Privy Council deemed “scandalous and irrelevant” and should be struck from the record. On Monday, Attorney General John Jeremie said he wrote a letter to Chief Justice Ivor Archie expressing concern that Justice Rajendra Narine referred to this affidavit in ruling last Friday.

Masire-Mwamba said the issue will not affect the CHOGM. “I would reassure you that for all our members in the Commonwealth, there is a process that is chaired by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) whereby issues that are happening at the national level could come on the agenda of CMAG, but that’s a process and TT is not on that path,” she declared.

CMAG was formed in November 1995 to address serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration which outlines the Commonwealth’s fundamental policy values. The group assesses infringements of the declaration and recommends collective Commonwealth action “aimed at the speedy restoration of democracy and constitutional rule.”

On UNC claims that TT could not afford to host CHOGM, Masire-Mwamba said: “For every benefit there is an associated cost.” Masire-Mwamba said the CHOGM will have youth and business fora which will allow the country to showcase itself to new investors.

A total of $235 million has been allocated in the 2010 Budget for the hosting of CHOGM.

Masire-Mwamba and National Secretariat Coordinator, Ambassador Luis Rodriguez said the issue of crime will not affect the CHOGM, 70 percent of the Commonwealth’s member nations have confirmed their attendance, and this figure will increase.

With some of the 53 Commonwealth leaders having security issues in their own countries, Rodriguez stated: “Our primary duty is to ensure their safety, and the safety of our state during their stay here. TT stands very fortunate to have partners right across this hemisphere and beyond that are working closely with our security agencies to ensure a very safe environment for our people, and our country,” he added. Rodriguez said the secretariat was speaking with the local business community about all arrangements for the CHOGM since November is a peak economic period in TT. He added that the United States will not be an observer at the CHOGM.