Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell says Grenada’s position on Venezuela is well known as he confirmed that his country will not be represented at a meeting with United States Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, in Jamaica later this week.

Pompeo, who is visiting

several countries in Latin America, said his trip to Kingston from Tuesday will

allow him to meet with “many Caribbean leaders to discuss how we can all work

together to promote our common democratic values and prosperity for all of our

people,” adding “I’m looking forward to a fantastic set of meetings”.

Pompeo said he would also

participate in a round table with the foreign ministers of Bahamas, Belize,

Dominican Republic, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia.

Non-interference

Another issue on the table

will be the current situation in Venezuela as Washington continues to lead the

efforts to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office in the South American

country in support of the Opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Mitchell, in confirming that St George’s would not be present at the meeting, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) in a Whatsapp message that “Grenada has expressed our position forcefully on this matter.”

CARICOM countries have

consistently said they would maintain their position of non-interference and

non-intervention in the internal affairs of Caracas.

Divide the region

Over the weekend, Barbados

Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who is also the chairman of the 15-member Caribbean

Community (CARICOM), said that her Foreign Minister would not be part of the

meeting.

“As chairman of CARICOM,

it is impossible for me to agree that my Foreign Minister should attend a

meeting with anyone to which members of CARICOM are not invited. If some are

invited and not all, then it is an attempt to divide this region,” Mottley told

a gala to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the late Barbados prime

minister and regional integrationist, Errol W. Barrow.

Meanwhile, the main

opposition in Jamaica, People’s National Party (PNP), has also warned the

Jamaica government to abide by “previously coordinated decisions taken on

Venezuela”, which is expected to be on the agenda of Pompeo’s meeting with

Prime Minister Andrew Holness.