BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC):

A former chief negotiator for the Caribbean, Sir Shridath Ramphal, says it is not too late for Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries to pull out of the economic partnership agreement (EPA) with Europe.

CARICOM leaders, at the end of the four-day CARICOM summit in Antigua earlier this month, said that several countries had "expressed (a) readiness to sign" the EPA that was initialled last December, following negotiations between the EU and the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) countries that also include the 15-member CARICOM grouping.

CARICOM chairman Baldwin Spencer said that the regional leaders had "fully debated" the EPA during their summit, taking "quite some time examining the pros and cons".