ST JOHN’S, Antigua – A new date has been set for the inaugural session of the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Regional assembly to be held in Antigua & Barbuda.
The historic meeting has been rescheduled for August 10.
Prime Minister of St Vincent & the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves made the announcement on OBSERVER Radio’s OBSERVER AM Tuesday.
“We have set a date. The date I think is August 10, shortly after your Carnival, so we will be on target and we are preparing a good programme,” Gonzalves said on the morning show.
The new date was set following the postponement from June 15 by OECS heads to allow further dialogue on the progress of the assembly the OECS Secretariat said.
At that time it was agreed by the heads of government that preparations across the OECS Economic Union “will benefit from additional time to ensure that all arrangements are put in place so that the inauguration of this vital organ is accorded the place of distinction which it will command in the OECS”, a communiqué read.
Antigua & Barbuda’s Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer had said that several issues such as the procedure for the selection of a Speaker of the House caused the delay.
He said Antigua & Barbuda stands ready to host the meeting.
When the assembly is held, Antigua & Barbuda will host 39 representatives from the nine OECS member states.
Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines are full members, while Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands are associate members.
The revised Treaty of Basseterre of 2010 made provisions for the establishment of the OECS Assembly as one of the five principles of the OECS.
