Miami Conference on the Caribbean set for Dec. 3-5

Miami Conference on the Caribbean set for Dec. 3-5 The annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean Basin, organized by Washington, D.C.-based Caribbean-Central American Action (CCAA), will be held Dec. 3-5 at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami.
   Conference organizers said security will be a major focus for the conference, with discussions set for the impacts of “scan-all' laws that will apply to all U.S. inbound air cargo by 2010 and sea cargo by 2012.
   'What will be the consequences for those countries that are unable to fulfill this requirement? Given the importance of the U.S. to the region as one of its largest trading partners, will non-compliance translate into a drastic decrease in trade between the U.S. and the Caribbean Basin? Will this new legislation cause a delay in trade between the region and the U.S.? What are the possible short-term solutions for the region?' a synopsis of the issue released by the CCAA asks.
   In addition, the conference will cover trade, transportation and logistics issues impacting the Florida, Caribbean, and Central America region.
   Top-ranking government officials invited to the conference include U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Alexander Ingraham, St. Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, Aruba Prime Minister Nelson Oduber, Suriname President Ronald Runaldo Venetiaan, Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez, Panamanian President Martin Torrijos Espino, Brazilian President Luiz In'cio Lula da Silva, and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.
   Additional information and online registration is available at www.c-caa.org.