• Cuba announced its decision to re-open negotiations with the EU for accession to the Cotonou accord with the ACP, securing CARICOM's full support for its application.

• Cuba will help CARICOM to set up a school to train up to 200 health professionals specializing in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, including the provision of HIV diagnostic kits and help in securing anti-retroviral drugs. The school will likely be located in an OECS state.

• A Protocol was signed providing for provisional application of the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement in January 2003. The agreement covers market access as well as cooperation in trade, tourism, transportation, trade financing, investment and intellectual property rights. The Protocol will allow the Agreement to be implemented in advance of formal ratification by all CARICOM states.

• December 8 will henceforth be observed as Cuba-CARICOM Day. Summits will be held every three years on that date to further dialogue and review cooperation, alternating between Cuba and a CARICOM host country. Ministers will meet 18 months after each Summit to discuss priority issues for the Caribbean region.

• The Cuban President briefed his CARICOM colleagues on Cuba's programme for structural adjustment of its sugar industry, which involves the closure of over 70 factories and the re-training of 58,000 workers. There was also an open discussion of concerns that the eventual lifting of the U.S. travel embargo would be to the detriment of CARICOM tourism.

• CARICOM Heads issued a statement on the Haitian political crisis, urging the Haitian Government to meet its commitments undertaken under OAS Resolution 822 in the areas of justice, the fight against impunity, the payment of reparations and security, in order to create an environment conducive to elections.

 

Professor Norman Girvan is Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org.

December 9, 2002