GRENADA:- A crowd numbering just under three thousand persons gathered at Grenada’s international airport in Point saline to witness the historic ceremony which preceded the official renaming of the airport, from Point salines International Airport to the Maurice Bishop International Airport. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonzalvs; Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit; Vice President of Cuba, Mr. Esteban Lazo Hernandez; Grenada's Governor General, His Excellency Carlyle Glean; Grenada's Prime Minister, Hon. Tillman Thomas and members of his cabinet; members of the Bishop family and specially invited guests – from home and abroad. The crowd was very animated and chanted slogans throughout the ceremony, evoking memories of the rallies that were held throughout the reign of the Maurice Bishop led People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG). Even some of the speakers used slangs and salutations that were reminiscent of that period in Grenada’s turbulent history. In addressing the gathering, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Civil Aviation, Hon. Peter David, publicly recognized Dr. Terrance Marryshow and others who fought hard over the years to keep the spirit of Maurice Bishop alive. He said that the renaming of the airport should be embraced as a moment for healing for the people of Grenada. He thanked the Cuban people and Fidel Castro for the assistance provided to the Grenadian people in the construction of the international airport. In his address, the Dominican Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit said that even though he was still in primary school when Bishop became Prime Minister of Grenada, he recalled that the Grenadian leader played a pivotal role in canvassing support for Dominica after it was devastated by Hurricane David in August of 1979. He also mentioned that he had read some of Maurice Bishop speeches and believes that young people throughout the region should get to read them. The Cuban Vice President, Esteban Lazo Hernandez, spoke about landing at the site of the international airport in 1980 and almost ending up in the sea with his small aircraft. He spoke about the cooperation between the peoples of Grenada and Cuba over the years and about Maurice Bishop, whom some people referred to as the son of Fidel Castro. In delivering the feature address, Dr. Ralph Gonzalves referred to the late Maurice Bishop (who would have been 65 years old if he was alive today) as one of the greatest sons that the Caribbean civilization has produced. He saw him as someone who embodied the struggle against imperialism and colonialism. He went on to give intimate details of his involvement with the revolutionary government and his personal relationship with Maurice Bishop. He ended his delivery with the famous “Forward ever, Backward never!!” that was so popular during the revolutionary era. Grenada’s Prime Minister, Hon. Tillman Thomas thanked all those who would have contributed towards the Maurice Bishop International Airport becoming a reality and officially sanctioned the name change. The ceremony ended around 5:45 pm with the vote of thanks being given by the Minister for Social Services, Hon. Glynis Roberts. (Photos of the historic re-naming ceremony can be viewed at the PHOTOS section on Inside Grenada)