Ten former Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders have expressed unease at the increased military build up and presence of nuclear vessels and aircraft in the Caribbean, saying that it poses a threat to the safety and livelihood of the region’s peoples.

At the same time, they have called for a pull back from the activities in order to prevent the region being plunged into conflicts generated from outside and preserve the fundamental tenets of the Caribbean being a zone of peace as agreed more than 50 years ago.

“…the ‘zone of peace’ has been codified and become a cornerstone in the architecture of our Caribbean sovereignty and the axis for our relationship with the countries of our hemisphere, Europe and the world at large,” the former Government leaders — Jamaica’s Bruce Golding and PJ Patterson; Antigua & Barbuda’s Baldwin Spencer; Belize’s Said Musa and Dean Barrow; Barbados’s Freundel Stuart; Dominica’s Edison James; Grenada’s Tillson Thomas; Guyana’s Donald Ramotar; and St Lucia’s Kenny Anthony — said in a statement issued Thursday evening.

“From this platform, our region has maintained that established international law and conventions, rather than war and military might, should prevail in finding solutions to seemingly intractable problems,” they added.

The statement came as tensions mounted between the United States and Venezuela over an escalating US military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.

The US has deployed stealth war planes and Navy ships as part of what it calls anti-narcotics efforts, but has yet to release evidence that its targets — eight boats and a semi-submersible — were smuggling drugs.

The US strikes, which began on September 2, have killed at least 37 people, according to an Agence France Presse tally based on US figures.

Experts have questioned the legality of using lethal force in foreign or international waters against suspects who have not been intercepted or questioned.

Following is the full text of the former Caricom heads of government.

“We who have previously served as heads of government of the Caribbean Community feel obliged, with the benefit of our experience, to make public our apprehension on the increased military security build up and the presence of nuclear vessels and aircraft within the Caribbean archipelago.

We are impelled to urge a pull back from military build up to avoid any diminution of peace, stability and development within our regional space that has the potential to pull the region into conflicts which are not of our making.

When the Caribbean Leaders gathered at Chaguaramas in 1972, with Dr Eric Williams as the chairman, it was accepted that peace was a dominant factor in shaping the social and political framework for Caribbean development.

As a result, the “zone of peace” has been codified and become a cornerstone in the architecture of our Caribbean sovereignty and the axis for our relationship with the countries of our Hemisphere, Europe and the world at large.

From this platform, our region has maintained that established international law and conventions, rather than war and military might, should prevail in finding solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

Throughout the years, our Caribbean nations have espoused and practised the fundamental premise of the United Nations Charter that “all disputes can and must be resolved through negotiation and dialogue”.

In noting our grave concerns we assert the sound pillars recently reaffirmed by our present leaders and which still constitute the fundamental tenets of our region that we dare not discard:

i. Reaffirming the Caribbean as a zone of peace.
ii. Reiterating unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations in the community.
iii. Respect for a global order where international law prevails and conflicts or disputes are settled by diplomatic engagement and dialogue.

Since our Independence, Caribbean states have consistently refrained from permitting the hosting of military assets, which have the potential to lure the region into conflicts which are not of our own making.

We urge adherence to this exercise of our collective sovereignty to avoid endangering our citizens in any crossfire or suffering collateral damage and economic harm.

The safety and security of the Caribbean Sea and the territorial integrity of our small states are of inestimable value. The Caribbean Sea is:

i the most heavily used sea for international trade, cruise tourism and yachting;
ii vital for land-based tourism on which most States depend for their economic viability;
iii important for deep-sea and artisanal fishing; and
iv strategic for the movement of persons and goods among the islands, especially as costs and pollution from air travel increase.

Once the domain of pirates, the centrality of the Caribbean has made it attractive to nefarious users like narco-traffickers, gun runners, and human smugglers. Small Caribbean States have limited resources to address the consequences of these illicit and subversive crimes.

Accordingly, Caricom governments, over the long sweep of time, have sought, and responded positively, to collaborative agreements to combat these nefarious activities but consistent with our sovereignty, international law and intrinsic rights.
Of immediate relevance and overarching significance, is the Shiprider Agreement with the United States which was concluded after intense and delicate negotiations.

During 52 years of its existence, leaders of our community have never wavered in their total commitment to the rule of law and reliance on the provisions of the UN Charter which forbid “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State”.

We and successive heads have remained steadfast in our repudiation of external intervention to effect regime change.

Regardless of the changes flowing from the swings of the electoral pendulum in our democracy, we have insisted that military action in our maritime waters should be governed by international law and not effectively deny due process.

We subscribed to the Shiprider Agreement to ensure that illicit drug traffickers could be tracked, pursued, searched and lawfully apprehended without extrajudicial killing and the destruction of that which could provide conclusive evidence of criminal operation.

The safety and livelihood of the people of the region are imperilled by any act or utterance which threatens the norms of international law or undermines our sovereign territorial rights.

The gravity of present signals demands that we use all existing channels for dialogue to perpetuate a zone of peace on the edifice of respect for our sovereignty, international conventions, and the rule of law.

We therefore fully support the preparedness of our leaders of the Caribbean Community to assist in resolving all conflicts and disputes by constructive dialogue.

We therefore fully support the preparedness of the leaders of the Caribbean Community to “assist in the peaceful resolution of all conflicts and disputes” to maintain the rule of law and strengthen security within our region in the spirit of the friendly relations that exist between the community and their hemispheric neighbours.

Preserving our Caribbean space as an established zone of peace is, for us, a vital imperative. Our shared history and common interests demand oneness.

We have gone too far to turn back now.”