BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS: Grenada's Prime Minister Keith Mitchell says the island may have suffered US$800 million in damage as a result of Hurricane Ivan. Prime Minister Mitchell is calling for relief from their old debt since it must now undertake a massive rebuilding of the country ravished by Hurricane Ivan. He disclosed this during a live telephone interview facilitated through Starcom Network Inc. as part of a five-and-a-half hour radiothon. Speaking to Starcom Network’s Chief Executive Officer, Vic Fernandes, he said any redevelopment plan must address the island’s agriculture sector since food security was a major concern for the country. Mitchell said an assessment of damage to the sector would be carried out as soon as possible to determine what short-term methods needed to be put in place. “We are already talking to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the World Bank and other financial institutions because they would have to be some form of debt relief for the time being, at least on moratorium and interest payments on old debt, because I do not see how we can confront the re-construction problem that we have to deal with immediately and at the same time meet our responsibility to the international and regional financial institutions. “A team from the OECS and the CDB there will be in the country they expect to provide a report on the economic problems that the country will face in the short and long-term and, based on that analysis, that report will go to the financial institution for the necessary aid package required to do the rebuilding.” Mitchell said a return of basic services to the people was of a top priority and that apart from food supplies, roof coverings such as tarpaulin, or tents were desperately needed to provide temporary support to the open structures in the interim so that residents could be comfortable at night. Speaking to security issues, he said although help was needed the situation was under control. “I have never had a problem of security personnel, but we have had some looting which now is very much under control and the security forces, with the help of the Caribbean forces, have provided some relief for some of the hard-pressed police officers who experienced tremendous problems with the destruction of their headquarters around the country and of their own homes,” he said. Mitchell thanked Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Patrick Manning and other Caribbean leaders for their support SOURCE: CARIBUPDATE.COM