Ja: Folly, thy name is Caricom!

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) - The Caribbean has indefinitely postponed a meeting of its national security ministers with US homeland security secretary, Tom Ridge, because of major differences over Haiti, officials said yesterday.

Caribbean Community secretary-general, Edwin Carrington, said the May 3-4 meeting in the Bahamas will not take place because the 15-member regional bloc does not recognise the new US-backed Haitian interim government.

Cooperation against terrorism was a major issue to be discussed at the May 3 meeting in the Bahamas.

"I agree that security is very important to all of us but I think that the very first thing that is of importance is the nature and regard for our community and you cannot compromise on that principle," Carrington said in AFP reports.

Caricom has called for a UN investigation of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's controversial departure from Haiti on February 29. Aristide says he was forced to resign by the United States, which denies the claim.

The US administration has insisted that Haiti - a member of the community - sit at the Bahamas meeting, Carrington said.

The first time a bomb goes off in some Caribbean country, Caricom will rue the day that they placed Aristide above regional security. Given the presence of the Muslim Triangle at the nexus of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay; the presence of Iranians in Guyana; hate-preaching imams in T&T's mosques; Islamic terrorists hiding out in Venezuela; Brazil's nuclear moves; Chavez's oil threats; Castro's expanding influence in South America; and passport forgery in Guyana, it is absurd for Caricom to place some abstract, high-falutin' blather about "the nature and regard for our community" above regional security. It is insane and downright stupid. Yet, Caricom heads, without any regard for today's realities, have done exactly that. Why am I not surprised that Caricom heads regard world events purely as subject for debate rather than as a series of threats in their external environment? Caricom is following after the French and British socialists in their bid to score points off the Bush administration. It is a great pity that petty considerations trump security in Caricom.