GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Speaking at the dedication ceremony Saturday, Guyana's President Bharaat Jagdeo, says the new CARICOM Secretariat building located at Liliendaal is proof of the fortitude of Caribbean people. However, he added that the building must represent something more meaningful other than a mere physical structure. "It is either the cornerstone of our aspirations for a united prosperous Caribbean nation and a symbol of resilience and creativity, or it is just another building on our land," Jagdeo said. In speaking on the building itself, President Jagdeo said it was a house "that we all built... a unique house-fashioned by our unique experiences, history, geography, culture and opportunities... whatever its glories or faults, it is of our doing," adding that, the new headquarters represented the hope for a true Caribbean Community. Caricom leaders and dignitaries fresh from the just concluded 16th Inter-Sessional in Suriname, Guyana's neighbour to the east, attended the event. Special invitees included Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and Special Envoy of the Government of Japan, Ambassador Tatsuo Arima. A CARICOM spokesman told Caribbean Net News that the Government of Japan provided funding to the tune of US$3 million for the project, with the Guyana Government providing funding of its own to a total of some US$8 million. CARICOM's Chairman, President Ronald Venetiaan of Suriname, told the gathering that CARICOM was celebrating something material and tangible. "This is indeed a long-awaited moment," said he, noting that it should be celebrated for what it would mean to the staff of the community who were scattered in many offices in Georgetown once known as the 'garden city.' Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com