Caribbean debt relief wanted

General Len Ishmael, Director of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) says heavily indebted Caribbean states are in need of help from the international community to ease their threatening debt burden.



Dr Ishmael says the region's debt GDP ratio had been on its way down, at 85 per cent before the recent global financial crisis.



She says there are factors fuelling increased debt in the OECS countries.



The OECS official says with foreign exchange not coming in, along with much less available foreign development assistance, the sub-region is finding it hard to pay its own way.



Dr Ishmael explains that regional states have had to borrow in order to keep their economies afloat.