St. George’s, May 15, 2010 (GIS) – A threat by the Opposition NNP to organise protest around a sitting of parliament, in reaction to the signing of the maritime treaty with Trinidad, did not materialise when the House of Representatives met on Friday, May 14.
It was the first sitting of the Lower House since the April 21 signing of the treaty, which delimits the boundary between Grenada and its oil-rich neighbour, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Mitchell and the NNP, who were in office for 13 years until losing power to Prime Minister Tillman Thomas’ National Democratic Congress in 2008 general elections, refused to participate in briefing sessions in which details of the treaty were being provided by the government and its maritime negotiators.
The NNP also turned down a government invitation to attend the ceremony in Trinidad for the official signing of the treaty, and had threatened protest by supporters whenever parliament met. However, there was no sign of protest on May 14.
Prime Minister Thomas, in an interview with reporters following Friday’s parliamentary sitting, said Grenadians realise that the maritime treaty is beneficial to them.
“The opposition was there for 13 years and they did nothing in terms of putting a team together to negotiate. They may have discussed the matter with somebody by the way but they never took it seriously,’’ said Mr. Thomas. “We regard it as a very important matter; a matter that has a lot to do with the future of our country and our development. It’s something the Grenadian people recognize has benefits for Grenada and Grenadians.’’
The Prime Minister said the treaty lays a good foundation for Grenada to begin exploration and exploitation of its marine resources.
He brushed aside suggestions that the treaty favours Trinidad over Grenada, and praised the Grenadian maritime treaty negotiators who bargained under rules of the International Law of the Sea Convention.