(At summit in St. John’s, Antigua)HAVING completed last night, their very lengthy public ceremonial opening of the 29th Heads of Government Conference of the Caribbean Community in St. John’s, Antigua, the leaders will settle down this morning to the hard part of grappling with a packed agenda that covers some very contentious and long unresolved issues.These would include:** The much-delayed operationalisation of CARICOM’s US$250 million Regional Development Fund (RDF). It may well be formally launched, as planned, before the close on Friday of this four-day summit, but still remain a project waiting on a number of governments to deliver on pledged contributions.** Also, the continuing failure to pursue with any seriousness, promised new initiatives on regional air transportation that could extend to reviving interest in a common regional carrier; moreso in view of escalating fuel cost and related punishing hikes in airfares that have negative consequences for the Caribbean’s vital tourism sector.Tourism, recognised as the largest contributor to the region’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was listed to be the first major agenda issue for today’s working session.However, even as the public ceremonial event was closing, doubts were being privately raised whether serious deliberations could take place on the future development of regional tourism without also dealing with the very relevant matter of regional air transportation, with emphasis on both intra and extra-regional destinations.The fact that Prime Minister Patrick Manning and some leading members of his delegation who missed yesterday’s opening ceremony, may not be arriving until late this afternoon, could result in the air transportation dimension to the region’s tourism future being delayed until tomorrow.State-owned ‘Caribbean Airline’ is, like ‘Air Jamaica’ and LIAT, a critical player for the tourism sector.Trinidad and Tobago also looms large in efforts to make a reality of the Regional Development Fund as the single biggest pledged contributor of some US$120 million. As of Monday, it was the only member country to have fully paid up its initial commitment of US$37 million with a further sum to be released shortly. There are some countries which have either failed to make any contribution to date, or are below 50 percent of agreed contributions.There are also two related issues of much importance for improved “regional governance” in support of CARICOM’s transformation into a single economic space, but which may remain “works in progress”.They are the failure to secure parliamentary approval of a much talked about “Single CARICOM Act’ by all member governments, and also the establishment of a high-level CARICOM Commission with executive authority for more effective management of the affairs of the Community, now in its 35th year of existence.** The future of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) under a new Director General, following the resignation of Dr Richard Bernal that took effect last Monday (June 30), may provide a lively debate, in terms of lines of accountability.But an even more intense, if not tension-filled session, could be on the issue of whether or not CARICOM should go ahead with arrangements favoured by the European Commission for the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that was initialled in Barbados last December.Or, seek a delay pending consultations with partners of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) - particularly in view of current controversies that have developed among the 25 member countries comprising the European Union, with threats to its “reform treaty”.** With respect to international developments of importance to the Community, one subject that this week’s summit must face up to is what public position should be taken against the dangerous situation in Zimbabwe resulting from the electoral farce that President Robert Mugabe has deemed “a landslide” victory to remain as Head of State.At the time of writing, while a few CARICOM administrations - surprisingly even that of Trinidad and Tobago - were engaged in ambivalent posturings, calls within Africa, including ruling and opposition parties, were openly calling for suspension of relations with Zimbabwe so long as Mugabe remains President.South Africa’s Bishop Desmond Tutu, internationally renowned as a tremendously influential moral voice, has not only denounced Mugabe as “lacking any legitimacy to govern Zimbabwe”.He is supporting growing demands for a United Nations peace-keeping force in Zimbabwe. Tutu would be aware of the circumstances that led to the UN military presence in Haiti - a CARICOM member state.Among the CARICOM leaders’ special guests for “exchange of views” on international issues of importance to our region, would be a representative of United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban ki Moon and the Secretaries General of the Commonwealth and Organisation of American States.