ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th, 2009 - Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas this morning discussed OECS integration and climate change, among other issues, with outgoing British High Commissioner to the OECS and Barbados, H.E. Duncan Taylor, at the Prime Minister’s Botanical Gardens office. Mr Taylor was especially interested in Grenada’s view of the current efforts of OECS countries to build a political union and the possibility of an expansion of the grouping to include Trinidad and Tobago. The British Government official also raised the importance of the current discussions on climate change, which he said cannot be overstated. He suggested that the upcoming global conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark, should provide a global strategy to ensure that any increase in global temperature is kept at 2 degrees or less. The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which is chaired by Grenada, is pushing for an agreement which will cap any potential increase in global temperature at 1.5%. “Adaptation and mitigation are the key issues in the climate change debate and we are looking forward to an agreement that will reflect a commitment to reduce global warming, slow down climate change and help pay the cost for those who are most affected by it,” the Prime Minister said, noting that a rise in the sea level is a matter of survival for small states. Mr. Taylor said the British government is committed to meeting its obligations in the fight to save the planet and reduce sea level rises. “We believe that everyone shares the cost of controlling climate change. Both developed and developing countries should share the cost,” His Excellency Duncan Taylor said. The two men discussed a wide range of other issues including the recent release of the last seven members of former Grenada government ministers and military officials, who have become known as the Grenada 17. “I believe in upholding institutions and the rule of law. This decision was based on the ruling of our court system and the fact that the constitutional provisions that govern our society are working,” the Prime Minister said, in pointing to the role of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy. The Prime Minister, in response to a query from the High Commissioner, noted the debate among stakeholders including the Grenada Bar Association, for and against the continued use of the death penalty as a form of punishment. The High Commissioner is leaving his posting in Grenada for Cayman.