GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT MARCH 9 - 15, 2008

UNCLAS GRENADA 000047 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV SOCI GJ SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT MARCH 9 - 15, 2008 ¶1. (U) Embassy Grenada's weekly activity report (GWAR) provides a little detail about events of interest that do not merit longer reporting at this time. ¶2. (U) Begin GWAR text: ¶A. Acting OECS Chief Justice Retires The Grenada Bar Association (GBA) last week paid tribute to retiring acting Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Sir Brian Alleyne while calling for a change in the laws regarding the appointment of his successor. GBA president Ruggles Ferguson said there is need for an urgent review of the current policy that calls for the unanimous approval of all heads of government of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) regarding the appointment of a chief justice. The GBA also called for a reversal of the mandatory retirement age of 65 for OECS chief justices. Sir Brian, a former Attorney General in Dominica, also served as High Court Judge in Grenada. There has been much speculation that his appointment as Chief Justice was barred by the Grenada government because it was unhappy with some of his rulings. ¶B. EC$24 Million Grant to Upgrade Water System The Government of Grenada has secured a Grant of EC$24 million from the European Development Fund to finance the implementation of the Southern Grenada Water Supply Improvement Project. The specific objective of this project is to improve the quantity, quality, and reliability of the water supply in the southern part of the country through the installation of pipelines and the upgrading of a number of water treatment plants. End text. MCISAAC