00:00Dominica offers to mediate amid rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela.
00:06From Bridgetown, Krista Hoytip gives us the details.
00:11Dominica has offered to serve as a mediator amid rising tensions between the United States
00:17and Venezuela, as Caribbean leaders renew calls for diplomacy and restraint in the face
00:23of increased military activity in regional waters.
00:27Speaking at his end-of-year press conference, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt said the
00:32Caribbean must continue to be treated as a zone of peace, warning that any military confrontation
00:38in the region would carry serious consequences for small island-developing states.
00:43Prime Minister Skerritt stressed that dialogue not forced remains the only sustainable path
00:48forward, pointing to the Caribbean's economic vulnerability and its exposure to external
00:54shots, including disruptions to trade, tourism and energy supplies.
00:58We have always maintained that the Caribbean should be a zone of peace, and that any thought
01:06of military actions in the Caribbean should be reconsidered.
01:11We believe that dialogue and diplomatic channels are better ways to solve problems, differences,
01:19issues that do not coincide.
01:22Prime Minister Skerritt noted that Dominica has previously played a bridging role during
01:27regional disagreements and remains willing to facilitate dialogue if asked, while expressing
01:33hope that tensions do not escalate into open conflict.
01:36And of course, Dominica is a good friend of both the United States and Venezuela.
01:41In the past, we have worked together as an intermediary, and we are prepared to do so in this current
01:48situation, if there are messages from either side to each other, that Dominica will believe
01:53that it is well-placed to provide that service.
01:56His comments come as U.S. military operations near Venezuelan waters continue to raise concerns
02:02among regional governments and international human rights organizations.
02:07CARICOM has reiterated its long-standing position that the Caribbean must remain free of conflict,
02:13with leaders warning that any outbreak of hostilities would negatively affect security,
02:18commerce, and livelihoods across the region.
02:21For now, Caribbean leaders continue to urge diplomacy as Dominica signals its readiness
02:26to help keep the region on a path toward peace.
02:30Crystal Hoyt, Tala Sur, Barbados.
