Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chretien invited President Hipólito Mejía to join him on the Canadian Air Force jet for the two-hour flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica. This was a first time that the heads of state of both countries held a bilateral talk. El Siglo newspaper said that Mejía was invited to fly with Chretien after the later cancelled his participation in the Jamaica summit. Both were scheduled to attend the Canada-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government Meeting in Jamaica, on September 29 after participating in the Canada-Central American Heads of Government meeting on September 28 in Guatemala. In Guatemala, regional leaders had explored ways that Canada could strengthen trade and investment links with Central America. Prime Minister Chretien had to cancel his participation in the Jamaica summit after being informed of the death of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He returned to Canada after landing in Montego Bay. "I think in a moment like that the prime minister has to be with all Canadians," Chretien told reporters at a hastily arranged press conference only minutes after his plane touched down in Montego Bay from Guatemala. President Mejía traveled on that flight with Minister of Foreign Relations Hugo Tolentino Dipp, the appointed Dominican ambassador in Canada, Eduardo Fernández and his military and protocol aides. Minister of Industry & Commerce Angel Lockward was also part of the presidential committee but flew to Jamaica on the private jet that had brought President Mejía to Guatemala. International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew and Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa, David Kilgour accompanied the Canadian Prime Minister. Both the Central American and Caribbean meetings with the Canadian Prime Minister were seen as an opportunity to exchange views on hemispheric issues with regional leaders and, in particular to consult them on the upcoming Summit of the Americas taking place in Quebec City next April. Negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas, democratic development and good governance, and debt-related issues were discussed in Guatemala. Caribbean leaders, including host Prime Minister P J Patterson, were already gathered in Montego Bay for today’s summit, held biennially to review the long-standing relationship between Ottawa and the Caribbean. With Chretien’s departure, the regional leaders would still meet among themselves today to discuss a range of issues. It was not clear if any of the members of Chretien’s party would stay in Montego Bay for discussions with the regional heads of government.
