WASHINGTON DC, USA – Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the United States have pledged to support each other in the region, through the expansion of economic opportunities and tightening of regional efforts to address terrorism and crime.

The agreements were communicated in a 17-point communiqué issued jointly by the White House and regional leaders, following talks at the just concluded Diaspora Conference and meetings with US President George W Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

Caricom Chairman Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, along with his Dominican counterpart, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt, told Caribbean journalists that the talks were conducted with civility and mutual respect for the views of both sides.

Among the agreements and recommendation was a pledge to continue promoting the consolidation of democratic norms, values and institutions throughout the hemisphere, and to enhance accountability and respect for human rights.

“I think we have made tremendous successes, tremendous advances and immense possibilities have been opened up,” Gonsalves said.

The leaders also came away with a pledge to give assistance to impoverished Haiti, even as they are heartened by the substantial progress which the Government of President Rene Preval has been making.

The communiqué said there was a recognition that Haiti would continue to require substantial regional and international support in the implementation of a consistent and long-term strategy, of institution and capacity building.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Skerritt said that from some of the discussions it was clear that ‘intelligence on the region was consistently wrong’.

“It appears. that there have been to some degree some misinformation, some flawed intelligence, consistent intelligence, and as such we had that opportunity to share with them the actual information, the concrete intelligence with respect to some concerns that we have with the region,” Skerritt said.