Tuesday, December 1 2009

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Mr President: Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete greets his countrymen as he leaves the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain yesterday. ...

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While the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting officially ended Sunday and the majority of Commonwealth leaders have left Trinidad and Tobago (TT), a few heads of state were still here yesterday.

Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete left the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain after 11 am and greeted some of his countrymen who lined the red carpet at the hotel’s doorway to see him off.

Among them was Barsara Chary, of the Tanzania Standard news, a State-owned newspaper who said the experience of covering the Commonwealth meeting in TT was “fantastic”.

He told Newsday he would have fond memories. “The people were kind and always smiling and willing to help.” Chary praised the organisation and said everything worked for his team of colleagues. “Everything we wanted we got.”

He was familiar with TT through the sporting success of cricketer Brian Lara and footballer Dwight Yorke’s stint with English premier club Manchester United.

Guyana’s President was also in TT yesterday and left the Hyatt before noon to give a lecture at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine on climate change. Tonga’s Prime Minister Feleti Sevele, left the hotel after 1 pm for Piarco International Airport.

Ghana’s President John Atta Mills met with chairman of Petrotrin Malcolm Jones, president of the National Gas Company (NGC) Andrew Mc Intosh, and NGC special advisor Frank Look Kin when they paid a courtesy call yesterday morning. (See page 4)

Talks centred on a possible collaboration between Ghana and the energy companies to assist Ghana’s transition from using fire wood as fuel to natural gas. In the afternoon, Mills and his entourage left the Hyatt at 4.40 pm for an engagement at the Normandie Hotel, St Ann’s. He is expected to leave today.