ST. JOHN'S, Antigua: Heads of Government and Leaders of the Opposition from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will meet in Castries, St. Lucia for a special meeting this weekend. However, this Saturday's meeting appears to be heading for a controversial start. Upon taking over the governance of Antigua and Barbuda following general elections some 15 months ago, Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer encouraged CARICOM to include the leaders of regional Opposition Parties in their yearly deliberations as they too have a vital role to play in the development of their respective countries. Spencer's call met with strong support from opposition parties across the region with the Opposition Leader in the St. Kitts and Nevis Parliament, Malchom Guishard, calling Spencer's suggestion "a good thing and long overdue." According to organisers, all Opposition Leaders were provided with the agenda for the planned meeting, which had as main topics such issues as the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Nonetheless, the Opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) has expressed in a letter a desire to have several "domestic" concerns included on a "broadened agenda" for discussion with the country's parliamentary Opposition leader Robin Yearwood. Speaking in St. John's earlier, the ALP's Public Relations Officer, Lionel 'Max' Hurst, announced that the party has intentions to lodge a report at the meeting on the Spencer Administration's decision to reshuffle the police force, the change in the Magistrate Code of Procedures Act and a plan by government to pass legislation in a bid to "muzzle the press." "There are enough laws on the books for defamation, libel and slander. If in fact what they say is taking place, then there is redress. There is no point in putting a draconian, punitive law into effect, which is intended to undermine the freedom of the press, the freedom of the electronic media," the Antigua Sun Newspaper quoted Lester Bird, leader of the ALP as saying. However, Caribbean Net News has learnt that organisers in Castries are not keen on becoming embroiled in any "domestic row" among the regional politicians and are paying cautious attention to the ALP's letter. "We are not prepared to get involved in the domestic affairs of any CARICOM member state; that is not the intent of this weekend's meeting. We hope that participants will stick to agenda items and not entertain the view that the meeting is an extension of Parliament,” a CARICOM spokesman told Caribbean Net News. This Saturday's meeting of opposition leaders precedes Sunday’s official opening of the 26th Annual General Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, which runs from July 4-6. ST. JOHN'S, Antigua: Heads of Government and Leaders of the Opposition from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will meet in Castries, St. Lucia for a special meeting this weekend. However, this Saturday's meeting appears to be heading for a controversial start. Upon taking over the governance of Antigua and Barbuda following general elections some 15 months ago, Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer encouraged CARICOM to include the leaders of regional Opposition Parties in their yearly deliberations as they too have a vital role to play in the development of their respective countries. Spencer's call met with strong support from opposition parties across the region with the Opposition Leader in the St. Kitts and Nevis Parliament, Malchom Guishard, calling Spencer's suggestion "a good thing and long overdue." According to organisers, all Opposition Leaders were provided with the agenda for the planned meeting, which had as main topics such issues as the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Nonetheless, the Opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) has expressed in a letter a desire to have several "domestic" concerns included on a "broadened agenda" for discussion with the country's parliamentary Opposition leader Robin Yearwood. Speaking in St. John's earlier, the ALP's Public Relations Officer, Lionel 'Max' Hurst, announced that the party has intentions to lodge a report at the meeting on the Spencer Administration's decision to reshuffle the police force, the change in the Magistrate Code of Procedures Act and a plan by government to pass legislation in a bid to "muzzle the press." "There are enough laws on the books for defamation, libel and slander. If in fact what they say is taking place, then there is redress. There is no point in putting a draconian, punitive law into effect, which is intended to undermine the freedom of the press, the freedom of the electronic media," the Antigua Sun Newspaper quoted Lester Bird, leader of the ALP as saying. However, Caribbean Net News has learnt that organisers in Castries are not keen on becoming embroiled in any "domestic row" among the regional politicians and are paying cautious attention to the ALP's letter. "We are not prepared to get involved in the domestic affairs of any CARICOM member state; that is not the intent of this weekend's meeting. We hope that participants will stick to agenda items and not entertain the view that the meeting is an extension of Parliament,” a CARICOM spokesman told Caribbean Net News. This Saturday's meeting of opposition leaders precedes Sunday’s official opening of the 26th Annual General Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, which runs from July 4-6. ST. JOHN'S, Antigua: Heads of Government and Leaders of the Opposition from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will meet in Castries, St. Lucia for a special meeting this weekend. However, this Saturday's meeting appears to be heading for a controversial start. Upon taking over the governance of Antigua and Barbuda following general elections some 15 months ago, Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer encouraged CARICOM to include the leaders of regional Opposition Parties in their yearly deliberations as they too have a vital role to play in the development of their respective countries. Spencer's call met with strong support from opposition parties across the region with the Opposition Leader in the St. Kitts and Nevis Parliament, Malchom Guishard, calling Spencer's suggestion "a good thing and long overdue." According to organisers, all Opposition Leaders were provided with the agenda for the planned meeting, which had as main topics such issues as the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Nonetheless, the Opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) has expressed in a letter a desire to have several "domestic" concerns included on a "broadened agenda" for discussion with the country's parliamentary Opposition leader Robin Yearwood. Speaking in St. John's earlier, the ALP's Public Relations Officer, Lionel 'Max' Hurst, announced that the party has intentions to lodge a report at the meeting on the Spencer Administration's decision to reshuffle the police force, the change in the Magistrate Code of Procedures Act and a plan by government to pass legislation in a bid to "muzzle the press." "There are enough laws on the books for defamation, libel and slander. If in fact what they say is taking place, then there is redress. There is no point in putting a draconian, punitive law into effect, which is intended to undermine the freedom of the press, the freedom of the electronic media," the Antigua Sun Newspaper quoted Lester Bird, leader of the ALP as saying. However, Caribbean Net News has learnt that organisers in Castries are not keen on becoming embroiled in any "domestic row" among the regional politicians and are paying cautious attention to the ALP's letter. "We are not prepared to get involved in the domestic affairs of any CARICOM member state; that is not the intent of this weekend's meeting. We hope that participants will stick to agenda items and not entertain the view that the meeting is an extension of Parliament,” a CARICOM spokesman told Caribbean Net News. This Saturday's meeting of opposition leaders precedes Sunday’s official opening of the 26th Annual General Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, which runs from July 4-6. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com