Grenada is at economic crossroad; we can decide to stand still, or we can decide to venture on a road where we have never been before. But, as the saying goes, "nothing ventured, nothing gained.''
News and public discourse in recent weeks have been dominated by the maritime treaty signed between Grenada and our oil-rich CARICOM neighbour, the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. It's officially titled, "Treaty on the Delimitation of Marine and Submarine Areas.''
The treaty was negotiated in less than two years by teams of highly trained experts from Grenada and T&T that comprised the Joint Boundary Commission.
The negotiations, delimiting where the boundaries of the two countries begin and end, were done purely on the basis of international law, specifically under Article 74 of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention. Article 74 of the Convention stipulates the terms for delimiting exclusive economic zones between states with opposite or adjacent coasts, such as Grenada and T&T.
Each time a round of negotiations was held – whether in St. George's or Port of Spain – Foreign Affairs Minister Peter David would speak to the press about whether any progress had been made. It was, therefore, rather stunning when the opposition New National Party and its leader, Dr. Keith Mitchell, alleged that the National Democratic Congress government negotiated the treaty in secret.
It clearly is part of a deliberate spurious campaign by the NNP and Dr. Mitchell, who seem bent on trying to derail the execution of the treaty; prepared to sacrifice it on the altar of political expediency.
Dr. Mitchell has had
