The Caribbean Community has until February 14, 2003 to submit its draft initial offers for tariff liberalisation under the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
And, to meet this deadline, the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery will convene its 5th Technical Working Group (TWG) on Market Access and Agriculture from February 10 to 11 in Castries, St. Lucia.
The Bahamas High Commissioner to CARICOM, A. Leonard Archer is representing the country at the two-day conclave.
CARICOM Member States will submit their draft initial tariff offers for discussion and harmonisation at the meeting of the TWG, following consultation with relevant stakeholders at the national level.
The establishment of TWGs was mandated by The Heads of Government meeting in Special (Emergency) Session on 11-12 October, 2001 in The Bahamas.
TWGs, co-ordinated by the RNM, are intended to bring together officials from across the region to decide on positions in specific trade-related subject areas.
The TWG Market Access and Agriculture will bring officials up to speed on progress achieved in the fulfillment of mandates in the FTAA and World Trade Organisation context.
Reference is made to the last Ministerial Meeting of the FTAA held in Quito, Ecuador in November of 2002, where the Negotiating Groups on Agriculture and Market Access were mandated to pursue specific objectives with respect to trade liberalisation in agriculture and market access, respectively.
Similarly, in the WTO, in keeping with the work programme agreed for the third phase of these negotiations on agriculture, the Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture was mandated to prepare a report on the state of negotiating modalities for agriculture.
There will also be discussion on the status of negotiations regarding FTAA rules of origin and market access.
In keeping with CARICOM Member States, with some exceptions, having submitted their base tariffs for FTAA negotiations prior to December 15, 2002, the TWG is also intended to further advance the submission process. To this end, the TWG will discuss the status of submission of base tariffs to the FTAA.
The Bahamas was among 34 democratic nations at the first Summit of the Americas in 1994, during which leaders agreed to pursue the establishment of a free trade zone in 2005 throughout the Americas, excluding Cuba.
On November 1, 2002, the trade ministers from these countries convened in Quito, Ecuador, to continue their efforts to create a hemispheric free trade zone that will comprise more than 800 million consumers.
By Lindsay Thompson, The Nassau Guardian
