Former Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Shridath Ramphal has congratulated President Bharrat Jagdeo on the stance he took in relation to the controversial Economic Partnership Agree-ment (EPA) with the Euro-pean Union (EU).

In a message to the President which was released by the Government Informa-tion Agency yesterday, Sir Shridath said “Your wise and courageous efforts over the EPA have been vindicated. The amendment of the EPA has come out well for the Caribbean and could have been even better had the rest of CARICOM shown some mettle. History will record, and the ACP will remember, that Guyana made a brave and noble stand when the Caribbean collapsed before a European negotiating offensive.

“You have prevented  October 15 being remembered as a ‘day of  shame’ in the Region. I am glad that your media statement today serves notice of struggles ahead; struggles in which I do not believe you will be as lonely as you have been so far.

“The silent majority in the Caribbean, who have been with you throughout, will become more assertive; and Europe will discover that this was not the ‘victory’ they believed it was. Well before the first ‘mandatory’ review, a new EPA will emerge in a new time. You will have helped to shape the new ‘partnership’, and the new time is surely already at hand.”

Guyana did not sign the EPA on October 15 as other Caricom states did but has indicated it will do so before the end of this month.
After failing to have a goods-only agreement signed with the EU and failing to get Caricom countries to delay signature of the deal, President Jagdeo had laid down two conditions that had to be met before Guyana signed on to the agreement. These were that the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which underpins Caricom would have supremacy over the EPA should any conflicts arise and in relation to matters of regional integration and that the EPA would be reviewed every five years.

The former was altered but still provides a basis for signing of the agreement by Guyana.