(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown) The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Mr Gordon Brown has agreed to convey to the European Union (EU) certain critical concerns of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) regarding the ongoing Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations.

CARICOM leaders continued their tradition of holding consultations in the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) with the Prime Minister of the UK and took advantage of the opportunity of their first meeting as a group with the new Prime Minister during the recent meeting in Kampala, Uganda to seek and obtain Mr Brown’s agreement to put forward to his EU colleagues certain of the Region’s critical concerns in respect of the EPA negotiations.

The EPA is scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2007, replacing the trade regime under the Cotonou Agreement which is a trade and aid package between the European Union and its former colonies in the African Caribbean Pacific Group of Countries (ACP). The CARICOM leaders meet in Special session on Friday 7 December in Georgetown, Guyana to discuss both the status of the negotiations and the rising cost of living in the Community.

Nine of the 12 CARICOM Heads of Government whose states are Members of the Commonwealth participated in the CHOGM in Kampala from 23-25 November 2007. Two others were represented by the Deputy Prime Minister and the other by the Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister. The Meeting was also attended by the CARICOM Secretary-General, His Excellency Edwin Carrington.

CARICOM Heads and their colleagues left the Meeting in the certain knowledge that the road from Kampala leads to Port-of-Spain, the venue for the next CHOGM scheduled for 2009.

In the Communique issued at the conclusion of the meeting, the Commonwealth leaders reiterated their support for the territorial integrity of Belize and Guyana in respect of their border disputes with Guatemala and Venezuela respectively.

The deliberations of the Meeting also saw discussions on issues ranging from Climate Change through the situation in Pakistan and to the choice of a new Secretary-General, Mr Kamalesh Sharma, hailing from India. The CARICOM Heads of Government also joined their other colleagues in saying farewell to the outgoing Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon. The leaders praised him for his outstanding service to the Commonwealth and particularly for his work on small states issues.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org