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CARICOM must work with incoming US President Joe Biden to lift the sanctions imposed on Venezuela by outgoing President Donald Trump to stop illegal migration out of Venezuela into neighbouring countries like TT.
On January 1, the Prime Minister assumed the chairmanship of Caricom from St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, who was chairman for the last six months. At a virtual news conference on Sunday, Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) leader David Abdulah said under Dr Rowley's leadership, "The Caricom region is going to have to resolve one of the problems that faces us with respect to illegal migration coming into TT from Venezuela.
"The solution to that is not for Caricom countries to take in more migrants. The solution is to deal with what is the cause of the migration in the first place."
Against this background, Abdulah said, "Therefore Caricom has to work with and dialogue with the incoming Biden administration in the US to have the sanctions removed from Venezuela."
He said this will allow Venezuela to "get back the tens of billions of US dollars that have been seized in England by the Bank of England and in the United States by the US Treasury Department."
He recalled that Caricom has proposed and facilitated dialogue between opposing political forces in Venezuela in the past.
"Through dialogue, once Biden does not continue the Trump policy of giving support to regime change in Venezuela, there can be peaceful dialogue between the different political forces in that country to resolve those issues."
Abdulah added this will give Venezuela an opportunity to heal "so that Venezuela itself can heal and the Venezuelan people can find a way forward, so that there would be no need for them to leave their country to find work elsewhere."
Abdulah observed that Caricom still has to deal with the covid19 pandemic. He said, under Rowley's leadership, "This is an opportunity to strengthen our regional integration."
In his New Year's Day message, Rowley said dealing with the health and socio-economic effects of the pandemic remains Caricom's top priority.
"The promising light at the end of the tunnel provided by the vaccine for covid19 provides the possibility of relief from the health and socio-economic challenges posed by the pandemic."
While Caricom has signed on to the Covax facility and looks forward to receiving its quota of vaccines when they become available, Rowley said this will not be "an immediate panacea" to the effects of covid19.
He stressed that member states must continue their successful management of covid19's health aspects, with the same dedication and discipline demonstrated from day one of the pandemic. Rowley also said the Caricom Single Market and Economy should be used as the region's principal means of economic recovery.
The post Abdulah: Lift sanctions against Venezuela appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.