ST JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC - Some 13 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders are gathered here for their annual summit that also marks the 35th anniversary of the regional integration movement.

Grenada's Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, who is campaigning for a July 8 general election in his country and outgoing CARICOM chairman, Hubert Ingraham are not expected to attend the four-day summit.

The leaders will gather at the Sandals Hotel on the north western part of the island late on Tuesday for the almost four-hour ceremonial opening at which speeches will be delivered by incoming CARICOM chairman and host prime minister, Baldwin Spencer; his Belizean counterpart, Dean Barrow; Jamaica's prime minister, Bruce Golding; the Guyana president, Bharrat Jagdeo; and CARICOM Secretary General Edwin Carrington.

On Monday, a special joint meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and the CARICOM Finance Ministers was held at the Jolly Beach Resort where Caribbean finance and trade ministers agreed on a US$60 million tag to start the CARICOM Development Fund that is expected to be launched here on Thursday.

Tuesday's opening ceremony will also feature the honouring of five Caribbean nationals who have made tremendous contribution to the development of the region.

The five to be awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC), the region's highest award, are Dominica's President Nicholas Liverpool, Barbadian author George Lamming, former Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, professor Rex Nettleford and former West Indies captain cricket record holder Brian Charles Lara.

Jamaican born, Professor Barbara Bailey will receive the CARICOM Triennial Award for Women.

On the first working day of the summit, the regional leaders will focus on tourism while on the second day, their deliberations will be on what Carrington described as "issues critical to the development of our region and our people".

He said the leaders would exchange views on issues such as food security and mitigation of rising food prices and the outcome of the Agriculture Investment Forum that was held in Guyana earlier this month.

The progress of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and in particular the moves towards the establishment of the framework for the Single Economy will also be discussed during the summit with Carrington adding that the launch of the RDF would be critical.

On the issue of functional cooperation, the regional leaders will review the progress made since the establishment of the Task Force on Functional Cooperation at their last summit in Barbados in 2007 and would also receive a report from that group.

CARICOM's participation in a number of meetings with the prime ministers of Spain and Canada as well as a review of the recent Conference on the Caribbean held in New york will also be on the agenda.

CMC/pr/vd/2008