Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is meeting Wednesday with President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana but she has denied media reports that the agenda for the talks includes discussions on relocating a Trinidad smelter to Guyana.JYOTI reported Tuesday that the Trinidad Express cited sources as saying that the two leaders would meet to discuss the smelter project.
Read the story:La Brea smelter to move to Guyana?
Speaking with the Trinidad Guardian Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar said Jagdeo was "appalled and very concerned" about the story in the Express about the relocation of the smelter plant from La Brea to Guyana.
"The headline is totally false, totally, totally false," she told the paper.
"In fact, President Jagdeo, through his representative here, was very concerned when he saw that headline, because there was no such agenda.
"He was very appalled because he has only just recently received an award that has to do with the environment and it has placed him in a very difficult position in his own country—on something that has been totally false in a Trinidad newspaper."
The Smelter project is a highly controversial one and the People's Partnership coalition has pledged not to build it because of serious environmental concerns.
"We have said before that there will be no smelter. This is the position," Environment Minister Roodal Moonlial is on record as saying.
According to Moonilal, "Until and unless all the parties to this dispute can arrive at a consensus as to the need for such a development policy and assure the nation on the health and safety issues, there will be no smelter in Trinidad and Tobago."
Although the Prime Minister has said the matter is not for discussion, the idea is getting support from environmental activist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh - who has been a leader against the La Brea smelter.
He told the Express the idea of relocating it to Guyana is "perfect and logical".
According to Kublalsingh, "Guyana has the alumina, the land space, and I think it has a population that needs the modern technology that the Chinese can provide. In terms of economies of scale, it will be very beneficial to the people of Guyana."
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The Express also spoke with chairman of the Guyana Private Sector Commission Ramesh Dookoo who said if the idea materialises Guyana would have a competitive advantage because of the presence of the raw material as well as land space.
Dookoo told the paper such a project involving two Caricom countries could become a flagship on joint ventures in the region.
He noted Guyana strict environmental standards and suggested that such a project could also lead to a new set of environmental impact assessments (EIAs).
A regional smelter project had been discussed in the 1970s but was abandoned after the Williams administration in Trinidad failed to reach agreement on where to located the plant, which was to use natural gas from Trinidad and bauxite from Guyana and Jamaica.
Williams wanted to build the smelter at the Point Lisas industrial estate in central Trinidad but Jamaica did not like the idea. In the end, Williams scrapped the plan.
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