(Trinidad Express) Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was to fly out to the United States today, where she is expected to hold a high-level meeting with United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Finance Minister Winston Dookeran will act as Prime Minister during Persad-Bissessar’s official three-day visit to the US.
While in the US, Persad-Bissessar will deliver a special lecture at Harvard University and also receive the 2010 Women of the Year award from the US-based Glamour magazine.
In June this year, Clinton was at a Caricom meeting in Barbados, but Persad-Bissessar was not at the event having adopted a no-fly policy for her Government.
At the time, she said no Government Minister would fly on official State business without first taking the oath in Parliament. Persad-Bissessar’s decision was then criticised by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, who said it was a lost opportunity to talk about this country’s business.
However, this Wednesday, Persad-Bissessar will have the opportunity to speak to Clinton, one on one, at the office of the Secretary of State in Washington.
A release from the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday stated that, while the meeting’s agenda was open, Persad-Bissessar and Clinton are expected to discuss major economic, social and political issues affecting the Western Hemisphere.
In-depth bilateral discussions are also expected to centre on issues directly dealing with US/Trinidad and Tobago/Caricom relations, with a primary focus on the state of the global and regional economies and the impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries, trade relations, energy industry, national and regional diversification efforts, the narco-trade, border protection and other security issues.
Haiti and the possibility of increased humanitarian aid to Caricom in light of the recent natural disasters to hit the region will also be discussed.
The release said Persad-Bissessar will also share with Clinton the various new initiatives taken by her People’s Partnership Government in its five months in office thus far to promote economic and social growth and development for, not only Trinidad and Tobago, but the entire Caricom region, such as the Children’s Life Fund and the Helping Hand projects.
The Prime Minister will also present an official gift to Clinton and extend an official invitation for her to visit this country.
While in Washington, Persad-Bissessar is also scheduled to deliver an address at the Council of Ambassadors meeting of the Organisation of American States on November 10 at the OAS Headquarters.
Tomorrow, Persad-Bissessar will deliver a lecture at Harvard University’s Faculty Law School, Massachusetts, during a symposium on the theme of leadership and cooperation. This is sponsored by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard International Negotiation Programme.
Today, Persad-Bissessar will receive an award from Glamour Magazine, which is honouring five of the top female global leaders from developing countries around the world.
She will be receive this award alongside counterparts like Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Croatia Prime Minister Jadranka Cosor, Slovakia Prime Minister Iveta Radicova and Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite.
The leaders will be awarded at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall, New York, in recognition of their pioneering successes in their countries that have significantly contributed to the global empowerment of women and girls.
While in New York, Persad-Bissessar is also scheduled to hold a meeting with the US Permanent Representative of the United Nations, Susan Rice, on November 9 at the UN’s offices.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan. She is carded to return home on Thursday.