The best way for this fishing dispute between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados to be settled is for honest representatives of the people of these two countries to have meaningful direct discussions. Our people will suffer if governments that have been compromised by multinationals negotiate treaties on our behalf.

The people of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados share a common history of enslavement and persecution by European establishments. Many believe that the United Nations is effectively controlled by Europeans therefore our people should not assume that fair judgments would automatically come from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Nepotism can be observed in many European institutions and the limitation of the United Nations in its ability to be fair and prevent the current war in Iraq is quite clear. Therefore people should be very careful when considering the possible outcomes that can result when this dispute go to the UNCLOS. Wisdom will dictate that sensible people should start making preparations that seek to avoid the worst possible outcome