New Treaty of Basseterre to be signed in St. Kitts in December

Basseterre -- St. Kitts -- Nov. 21, 2009 -- The new Treaty of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will be signed in the St. Kitts capital in December.

This was disclosed Friday in Anguilla by Grenada’s Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas at the conclusion of the historic 50th meeting of the OECS Authority.

A CMC Report said that the Grenada Prime Minister, Hon. Tillman Thomas, deputising for OECS Chairman, the Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, who is also the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, who chaired the meeting, told reporters that the signing of the new treaty on December 29th in St. Kitts will be preceded by a special meeting of the Authority to “consider the treatment of recommendations and the draft Treaty arising from the public consultations” in the all the islands.

Prime Minister Thomas said that the new OECS Treaty will come into effect in June 2010, the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Basseterre.

A statement issued by the Montserrat government, said the British Overseas Territory will not have to negotiate its position within the establishment of the OECS Economic Union, one of the measures contained in the new treaty.