CARIBBEAN SEEKS COMMON POSITION AT WTO MEETING

Castries, September 11 (PL)- Representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) met on Tuesday to reach a consensus on economic issues.

Both groups are intended to prepare a common agenda for the 9th meeting of WTO trade ministers in Bali, Indonesia, scheduled for December 3-6, 2013.

Representatives of CARICOM and the OECS will analyze a project on trade facilitation and agriculture.

Also the future of the multilateral trading system will be discussed, which includes a binding dispute settlement mechanism that provides small developing countries with a forum for challenging the policies of larger developed countries, Caribbean News Now reported.

Also says that the region's interests lie in ensuring the potential benefits of trade liberalization are accessed by regional firms.

The website states that despite the deadlock in the WTO negotiations, the region achieved the recognition of special and differential treatment for small economies vulnerable on issues ranging from agriculture to market access.

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