Caricom voices grave concern over rice, sugar with Blair
-drugs, security threat also on breakfast menu
Stabroek News
December 3, 2003
Caricom leaders raised their concerns over the continued access of two key commodities, rice and sugar, to the European market at a breakfast meeting with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday.
Security issues were also discussed between Blair and the Heads of Government, including President Bharrat Jagdeo, Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Perry Christie, Prime Minister of Belize, Said Musa, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Kenny Anthony; Caricom Secretary-General Edwin Carrington and Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery, Dr Richard Bernal.
According to a news release from the Caricom Secretariat in Georgetown, trade discussions at 10 Downing St centred on the two key matters of how to restart the stalled WTO negotiations following their collapse in September in Cancun, Mexico; and the upcoming negotiations for a Regional Economic Partner-ship Agreement (REPA) between the EU and the Caribbean countries party to the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement.
The Caricom leaders, en route to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Abuja, Nigeria, reiterated their determination to play their part in the resumption of the negotiations and were reassured by Blair's reaffirmation of his country's commitment to live up to the objectives of the Doha Development Agenda.
They highlighted the importance of commodities in their trade relations with the EU, and in light of the bitter consequences of the reform of the Banana Regime they expressed grave concerns regarding the upcoming reforms of the EU Sugar Regime and its implications for the ACP-EU Sugar Protocol, which is enshrined in all ACP-EU Conventions as being of "indefinite duration".
The release said that the importance of the sugar industry was generally recognised in terms of foreign exchange and employment, especially for the rural population, particularly to the economies of the six Caricom countries that are party to the Sugar Protocol - Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago. It was therefore accepted that there was need to pay great attention to the social and economic implications of that reform and to provide some measure of support to assist in the restructuring of the industry and the upgrading of its competitiveness.
A Government Inform-ation Agency (GINA) press release noted how important the issue was given that 80% of Guyana's sugar exports go to the EU at a price much higher than the world market level.
The situation regarding rice was also raised as a matter of serious concern to the community, the Caricom release said. Caricom leaders highlighted the fact that the situation for rice had worsened the trading prospects of the region in that market, while a significant reduction in export earnings seemed certain in light of decisions already taken by the EU.
While promising that his government would do its utmost to assist the region in the REPA negotiations, according to the release, Blair emphasised the hard but inescapable choices which the Caricom region would need to make, and that the UK represented but one voice among many in the EU.
Caricom leaders noted the views of Blair on the critical importance of special and differential treatment; the need for increased adjustment support; and the need for a heightened role for services.
In the area of security, the leaders referred to the many dimensions of this threat to the social and economic well-being of the region. The leaders noted that their countries were caught between the major suppliers of drugs to the south and the major markets for drugs to the north, and were increasingly becoming engulfed in virtually all its facets.
They contended too that this situation was rendered more complex being complemented by organised transnational crime and aided by a growing traffic in small arms, all of which fuelled to an alarming level, rising domestic crime.
It has also resulted, the leaders argued, in the reallocation of already scarce resources, both human and financial, from combating traditional domestic anti-social behaviour to drug generated crimes.
While much appreciation was expressed for the UK's support in the fight against the various dimensions of the security threat, it was advanced that there was need to rethink the approach to combating this threat, given its changing nature, content and intensity. Blair agreed that his country would continue to work with the Region to respond to the situation, aware of the rising cost of meeting the threat and of their mutual interest in overcoming it. As part of this process, consideration will be given to the development of a Plan of Action, the release stated.
The health dimension of the security threat to Caricom societies represented by HIV/AIDS was also considered.
The recent call to action by the UK government, and its participation in developing a Regional Strategy across the Caribbean, working with the Clinton Foundation, was recognised by the leaders as an important initiative.
The leaders agreed that these many issues would be discussed further at the next meeting of the UK-Caribbean Forum scheduled to be held in the UK in May 2004.
The GINA release reported that later in the day Jagdeo met with UK Secretary of State for the Commonwealth Baroness Valerie Amos and is to meet with a Department for International Development official today before travelling on to Nigeria.