Don't link trade with fight against terrorism - Sir Shridath

BRIDGETOWN, CMC:

THE CARIBBEAN has a strong warning for the USA against moves to link coming international trade negotiations with the war against terrorism.

The warning has come from the Caribbean's Chief Negotiator of the Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM), Sir Shridath Ramphal, ahead of next month's Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East.

Stressing that "maintaining solidarity" of the 78-member African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group was a "principal challenge" for the forthcoming WTO's meeting, Ramphal told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) yesterday: "I am also troubled that the Americans are suggesting in a subtle way, as they strategise for Doha, that the coming trade neg-otiations should be pursued also in the context of the war against international terrorism".

This link, he explained, has already been repudiated in the US Congress by the Black Caucus which is headed by Congressman Charles Rangel.

Ramphal, a former secretary-general of the 54-nation Commonwealth and Co-Chair of the International Commission on Global Governance, who assumed the role of head of the RNM in April 1997, has already forwarded a briefing to Caribbean Heads of Government and Trade Ministers on the WTO's meeting in Doha, scheduled to take place from November 9-13.

Currently in Barbados, where he performed his duties as Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) at Saturday's graduation ceremony, Ramphal said "despite the downside, he had stressed to CARICOM leaders and ministers the importance of the Caribbean's presence at Doha.

"We have to ensure full collaboration within the ACP group and among other allies that decisions made at Doha do not bind us against our interest and let our prospects go out not with a bang but a whimper".

Crucial to the solidarity strategy being pursued by the Caribbean for Doha is a meeting of ACP Trade Ministers in Brussels carded for November 5-6. This will be preceded by a preparatory meeting of CARICOM Trade Ministers the previous day.

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