President no longer giving keynote address at oil summit

President David Granger is no longer delivering the keynote address at today’s GIPEX oil summit at the Marriott Hotel.

Organisers said he had been “unavoidably detained”.

A presentation will be made in his stead by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge.

Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman later said that the President was unfortunately unable to be present and “sends his regrets”.

A number of questions have been raised about this conference including the conspicuous absence of the government’s petroleum adviser Dr Jan Mangal who is delivering a separate address today.