It is a pleasure for me as Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to join the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica in welcoming you to this 20th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development of the Caribbean Community. In welcoming you all, please permit me to extend on our behalf a very special welcome to Mr Guy Mayers, the new Minister of Trade of Saint Lucia following the change of Government which took place in that country on 11 December 2006. Minister Mayers, we extend to you a most fraternal welcome to this Council of the Community, and look forward to your insightful and valuable contribution, aware as we are of your outstanding background in matters of relevance to the work of this Council.

Hononourable Ministers, this the second occasion in which this Council is meeting in strategic session to discuss issues across the broad spectrum of the Community’s external trade negotiation policy. The first was in Belize in 2004. Since then a number of developments have taken place: the Community has concluded a free trade agreement with Costa Rica; the FTAA negotiations have gone into abeyance; the Doha Development Round multilateral trade negotiations have sputtered to a stall but now showing some signs of resumption and the CARIFORUM-EU negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) got on the way and are ongoing.

This second strategic session being held here in Montego Bay, Jamaica is no less critical than the first. Given the changing global and regional environment you will need to take stock of our existing and prospective trading relationships as regards their actual and potential contribution to our internal development initiatives, in particular their contribution to the CARICOM Single Market and Economy and the OECS Economic Union. Moreover , you will need to pay special regard to the progress or otherwise and to any necessary adjustment, in the negotiation for an EPA Agreement with a Europe no longer comprised only of our traditional partners.

You will also need to look carefully at the changing configuration of our trading relationship as we seek to embrace new bilateral arrangements among regional players and to ensure that real effect is given to those arrangements which we have entered into in this new arena. In all of this, certain key sectors - and those whose very livelihood depend on them - look forward to receiving your special care, attention, and leadership.

Hononourable Ministers, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, all of this comes at a most propitious time. The outcome of your deliberations will serve to inform the upcoming Joint Meeting of the External Trade Negotiations and the Single Market and Economic Prime Ministerial Sub-Committees which will be meeting here in Montego Bay, Jamaica next Monday and Tuesday under the distinguished Chairmanship of the Honourable Prime Minister of this country. The results of that Meeting will be fed into the upcoming 18th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Heads of Government in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on the 12-14 February under the distinguished Chairmanship of that country’s Prime Minister.

But all of that is but one dimension of the progress. Of no less importance is the present juncture at which we are in the negotiations for the EPA Agreement with the EU who you Ministers, our representatives, will be confronting soon as you seek to arrive at an agreement which contributes significantly to the development and transformation of our regional economy. All of these efforts must come together successfully to ensure the realisation in 2008 - a virtual year of destiny for the Caribbean Community - of the achievement of the framework for the CSME, in particular, for the Single Economy, as the backbone for a Caribbean Community worthy of the highest aspiration of our people.

Yours is therefore no mean task and much depends on your deliberations here over the next two days. In that regard I can only wish you all success.