U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting in Barbados Wednesday with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders on security matters.The talks are a follow-up to the recent meeting held in Washington to discuss the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
The focus in Barbados is on helping Caribbean nations address the problems of crime and violence and narco-trafficking.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is on record as saying that the outbreak of violence in Jamaica underscores the importance of maintaining strong security in the region.
Speaking at the start of the one-day event Wednesday Holder said, “This new initiative is an important step forward in addressing our shared concerns, advancing our common interests, and strengthening our collective commitment to protect our citizens from crime, violence, trafficking, and terror.”
Holder added that the the situation in Jamaica "reminds us all just how important this work is."
The US-CARICOM dialogue is in keeping with a commitment made by President Obama at the fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago in April last year as part of a "new chapter of engagement” between the US and its “friends in the Caribbean."
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