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caribbean roundup PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) – Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s consulting firm has submitted a proposal to help Trinidad battle a rise in kidnappings and murders, officials said. Giuliani Partners submitted a preliminary proposal to the government recently "to assist in reducing the coun-try’s level of crime,’’ Security Minister Martin Joseph said. Joseph said the government would respond to the offer "in due course,’’ without providing a timeframe. He did not give details of the proposal. Giuliani has been credited with great-ly reducing crime in New York City during his tenure as mayor. In November, Giuliani and his former Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik, spoke about anti-crime measures in Trinidad during an appearance sponsored by a local insurance firm. Last year, business leaders in Mexi-co City paid Giuliani’s consulting firm $4.3 million for advice on reducing crime there. Mexican police said they would follow every one of his 146 recommendations to help Mexico City fight rising crime. There have been at least 225 murders and 46 ransom kidnappings in Trinidad since January, record numbers for both categories. Police say most of the murders have been drug-related and have occurred in an area just east of the capital, while criminal gangs have begun using kidnappings as a quick way to obtain cash. Giuliani Partners did not return phone calls seeking comment on the proposal. Trinidad and Tobago, a two-island nation of 1.3 million residents, is located in the southeastern Caribbean, less than 10 miles from Venezuela. Premier Tells U.S. President His Country Is Moving To Protect Energy Supplies From Terrorism PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) – Trinidad’s Prime Minister Patrick Man-ning told U.S. President George W. Bush his country is moving to better protect its gas reserves from terrorism as it seeks to become a larger energy supplier to the United States, he said. Manning held talks with Bush and other U.S. officials during a five-day visit to the United States that ended recenty. Bush surprised Manning when he walked into a meeting between Na-tional Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice and the Trinidad premier. The two held talks for about 20 minutes, Manning told reporters. Trinidad supplies the United States with two-thirds of its liquefied natural gas imports – much of which is used as fuel for heating in the northeast – and is hoping to increase that amount. Fire Devours Building In Capital As Loans Are Approved To Ease Country’s Debt GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) – The second major fire in six weeks swept through a building in Guyana’s capital hours after the president an-nounced an aid package aimed at easing the country’s payments on its debt. The fire raged for three hours in downtown Georgetown, destroying businesses and government offices in a three-story concrete building owned by Muneshwars Ltd., a constructions supplies company. "It is a sad blow to the economy when the country can ill afford such a loss,’’ President Bharrat Jagdeo said. Several hours earlier, Jagdeo an-nounced that the World Bank, the In-ternational Monetary Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank had agreed this week to loan Guyana US$30 million annually over the next 10 years as part of a program to relieve the debt burden of poor nations. Vice-President Of Haiti’s Interim Electoral Council Resigns PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – In the latest setback to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s efforts to gain consensus, an electoral council leader has resigned over an alleged government crackdown on dissent. Volvick Remy Joseph, a former health minister in ousted dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier’s government, said he could no longer support a government that repressed anti-government demon-strations. Tensions between supporters and opponents of Aristide have risen, with at least 22 killed and scores wounded during anti-government protests. This week, police raided a pro-opposition radio station in the north, saying they were looking for weapons, while dozens of anti-government demonstrations have been broken up by Aristide supporters and police. Opposition Files Petition For New Election In Disputed District ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada (AP) – Grenada’s opposition filed a petition Thursday disputing election results in a closely contested district, an action that if successful could reverse the outcome of last month’s vote that gave the governing party a third consecutive term. George Prime, a candidate for the National Democratic Congress, cited voting irregularities in his district in Nov. 27 general elections, which Prime Minister Keith Mitchell’s party narrow-ly won by taking eight of 15 parliamentary seats. Prime’s party won seven seats and it is calling for new elections in his district of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Before the elections, Mitchell’s party held 14 seats. It was not clear when the High Court would begin hearing arguments in the case. Mitchell’s New National Party has not commented on the matter. Suspected Bank Robber’s Sea Rescue Leads To His Capture ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada (AP) – A boat rescue in Texas led to the capture and return of a Grenada man charged in an armed bank robbery three years ago, police said. Glen "Ferrow’’ Samuels, 38, was on a private boat outside Houston when something went wrong with the boat. After being adrift at sea for several days officials rescued him and others, realizing that Samuels’ name was on an Interpol list, Grenada police said. Samuels, who was returned recntly, appeared before Justice Kenneth Ben-jamin and was remanded until his trial in February. Police put out a warrant for Samuels after he failed to show up for trial following the May 2000 robbery of a Scotiabank in St. George’s. Police alleged that Samuels and two other armed men robbed the bank and escaped in a car with EC$62,000 (US$23,000). US$11,300 In Funds Missing From State-Run Agency ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) – Police were investigating the disappearance of Eastern Caribbean $30,000 (US $11,300) in cash from a government-run organization, officials said. The funds went missing within the past month from the vault of the Cen-tral Marketing Corp., Police Commis-sioner Elton Martin said. An official from the organization reported the theft to police over the weekend. No arrests have been made. The corporation markets and sells locally-produced and imported vegetables and fruits. Prime Minister Says Country Will Honor National Debt KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Des-pite its troubled economy, Jamaica will not default on its ballooning debt or seek to restructure its payments, the prime minister said. The Caribbean island will continue making timely payments on its debt, estimated at Jamaican $650 billion (US$11 billion), or 165 percent of the gross domestic product, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said. More than half of Jamaica’s budget goes to paying down the debt. "Regardless of how onerous is the debt burden, we will not renege on our obligations or unilaterally restructure the debt,’’ Patterson said. He cited this week’s approval of a US$100 million loan from Canadian-owned Bank of Nova Scotia as proof of international confidence in the country’s economy. The loan, reached after weeks of negotiations, will help cover a rising budget deficit estimated at Jamaican $24 billion (US$400 million). Malvo’s Father Sad About Conviction, Asks Jury To Spare His Life KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – The estranged father of convicted U.S. sniper Lee Boyd Malvo expressed sorrow over his son’s guilty verdict and pleaded with jurors to spare his life. Jamaican-born Malvo, 18, was convicted Thursday on two counts of capital murder by a Virginia jury for his role in the October 2002 shooting spree that terrorized the Washington-area and left 10 dead. The jury rejected Malvo’s defense that he was brainwashed by John Allen Muhammad and will now decide whether to give him the death penalty or life imprisonment. "I’m very sad,’’ Leslie Malvo said when reached by cell phone at King-ston’s airport."I would like them to spare my son’s life. He wouldn’t do such a thing on his own.’’ Germany Contributes US$7.4 Million To Fight HIV/AIDS In The Caribbean GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) – Germany recenlty moved to help the Caribbean in fighting HIV/AIDs, contributing euro6 million (US$7.4 million) in grant funds geared toward preventing the disease’s spread in the re-gion, officials said. Germany’s development bank, the Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau, or KfW, said it plans to distribute the funds through the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS, a Caribbean Com-munity grouping of governments, private organizations and business leaders. With more than 2 percent of its population infected, the Caribbean has the world’s second-highest infection rate after sub-Saharan Africa. The figures exclude Cuba, where prevention programs have kept rates low. Guyana was included with Haiti as the two Caribbean countries to receive aid as part of a five-year, US$15 billion U.S. plan approved this year to combat the virus in Africa and the Caribbean. Continental Inaugurates Flight Between Newark, Barbados BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) – Continental Airlines inaugurated nonstop service between Barbados and Newark International Airport in the United States . The 737, which touched down at Grantley Adams International Airport, was piloted by Barbadian-born Arnold Mendez. Tourism Minister Noel Lynch met the plane at the tarmac. Barbados is Continental’s 17th destination in the Caribbean, officials said.
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