Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
May 24, 2010 (CUOPM)
Funds collected by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the victims of the earthquakes that struck OAS member countries, Haiti amd Chile on January 12 and February 27, respectively have been presented by the Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to the Organization of American States (OAS), His Excellency Dr. Izben C. Williams.
Ambassador Williams asserted that the funds, though not substantial, represent a “symbolic amount” and a show of solidarity in the hemisphere during a period of tragedy.”
They were collected in memory of the victims of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile during a church service he described as “a remarkable occasion in showing our oneness and our commitment to be there for our brethren in all circumstances, as indeed a hemispheric organization that seeks to incorporate and foster all the ideals that we stand for as a body should do in certain circumstances.”
For his part, the Permanent Representative of Haiti to the OAS, His Excellency Ambassador Duly Brutus, thanked the countries of the Caribbean Community for their show of solidarity and asserted that said support “is going to be used for the sake of Haitian people.”
The Permanent Representative of Chile to the OAS, His Excellency Ambassador DarÃo Paya, thanked CARICOM for its gesture of support and added that he was certain that during the long cold winter ahead for many Chileans “it certainly helps them to know””and I will make sure this gesture is heard of there””that their plight is on your mind.”
The President of the Permanent Council of the OAS and Permanent Representative of the United States to the Organization, Her Excellency Ambassador Carmen Lomellin, was present during the ceremony, held in her office at Organization headquarters in Washington, DC.