His Excellency, Dr. Richard Bernal, Ambassador of Jamaica to the United States of America, Washington, DC

"Caribbean States and FTAA Negotiations: Adequacy of Preparation and Negotiating Structures."

Comments

Mr. Arthur Gray explained Ambassador Bernal's diagram on CARICOM's negotiating structure as he understood it. He insisted that the structure was neither as bureaucratic nor as complicated as it seemed.

Mrs. Dorset questioned why this region was only now organising a negotiation process when a decision had been taken to do so five years before. She complained that it seemed to be starting over the process. Mrs. Dorset called for a change in the orientation of Caribbean people, for them to be more proactive and less reactive, and spoke of their need to recognise their importance and not allow others to denigrate them. She said that such values had to be inculcated from the youngest age.

Ambassador Bernal endorsed Mrs. Dorset's comments and reiterated the need for a proactive trade policy. He added that the region should review its external relations policy as it related to its negotiating procedures and the time taken to implement them.

Mr. Harker pointed to the complexity of the negotiating structure and questioned the extent to which this structure could truly influence the negotiation process; the extent to which it mattered; and the extent to which the region was constrained by problems such as market access. He cited the present influence of domestic policy on external policy and the gradual move to free trade. These, he stated, formed part of an underlying logic which

should be dealt with in order to put an end to the sporadic episodes of negotiation which were currently taking place.

Mr. Bulbulia stated that this structure should have been in place four to five years ago. Furthermore, he opined that the process should be simplified and argued that the CARICOM Secretariat and the Negotiating Secretariat should not necessarily belong to two separate structures.

Dr. Lewis thanked Ambassador Bernal for the "transparency" of his presentation and, pointing to the region's varied macro-economic policies, wondered whether the existent lack of unity was affecting its ability to obtain international support and the strength of its negotiating position.

Dr. Gonzales suggested that the problem was not an absence of a strategic trade policy but rather an inability to reach a consensus in terms of negotiating policies. He then recommended that some mechanisms be put in place to facilitate the creation of a common regional policy

Mr. Yankey wondered how to encourage the involvement of other actors such as the private sector and labour organisations in the procedure.

Mr. Beaubrun indicated that often private businesses were unaware of what was happening and so it was difficult for them to articulate an opinion. He believed, therefore, that it was necessary to inform the public before seeking the private sector's opinion on participation.

In response to Mr. Harker's question, Ambassador Bernal stated that the region should seek a strategic repositioning in the process in order to influence it: CARICOM had no other choice but to be well organised and well prepared, it was the only way to gain leverage. He expressed concern that the region had little influence and that it had not even started to use the influence it did have.

Next, His Excellency accepted Mr. Lewis' position that the region needed to be more coherent. He believed that macro-economic policies should be linked to trade and not the other way around.

Ambassador Bernal added that the private sector must be involved in trade because it was the main exporter in the region. The private sector could assist in the negotiating process because of its practical experience in trade and its contacts. However, he opined that at times private sector representation should be limited to the region's own concerns. With reference to Dr. Gonzales' question, Mr. Bernal pointed out that it was not always possible to obtain a common position on every issue faced by the region. He argued that the states in the region were becoming more varied and as such they needed to pool their resources while articulating their different positions in a regional way. He suggested that the region find a new mechanism which was unitary but which also accommodated its differences.

Finally, Ambassador Bernal stressed that the region should control its own processes. He expressed confidence in each nation's human resources. As a result, he believed that region should now start to mobilise, organise and finance them.