Caribbean interests gather in Miami

Caribbean interests gather in Miami The Miami Conference on the Caribbean hits full swing today, with attendees from throughout the Caribbean Basin region meeting to discuss issues from health care and economic development to transportation services.
   The annual conference organized by the Washington, D.C.-based Caribbean-Central American Association (CCAA) is now in its 31st year. Although it is not a shipping industry conference in the traditional sense, the conference deals with issues that affect the industry directly and indirectly.
   Jose Perez-Jones, Seaboard Marine senior vice president, will moderate an afternoon session on transportation and logistics, for example, while concurrent sessions will be underway to examine agriculture, the apparel industry, financial services and telecommunications.
   The conference also features speeches by high level officials, including Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Alexander Ingraham, and Albert Ramdin, Organization of American States assistant secretary general.
   The conference started with private meetings on Monday, and runs through Thursday at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami.