President Bharrat Jagdeo in a message to the summit of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states in Ghana, on Thursday said that Guyana is unhappy about the proposed EU trade deal’s “anti-developmental character and its propensity to be inimical to Caribbean integration.”
And pointing to areas of concern President Jagdeo expressed displeasure over what he referred to as the “inclusion of ‘services’ and the ‘Singapore issues’ in the Caribbean Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the MFN (Most Favoured Nations) clause (which will impair South-South cooperation) and the absence of provisions to address supply side deficiencies.”
And noting that they are all confronted with threats from the EU in the context of the EPAs, he underscored a greater need for ACP solidarity than ever before.
Referring to the EPA which is scheduled to be signed by Caribbean leaders on October 15, the President noted that “Guyana has indicated its unwillingness to sign a ‘full EPA’ as a matter of urgency and under threat of GSP (General Systems of Preferences) tariff sanctions.”
Jagdeo said that in the interest of compromise Guyana has offered to sign a ‘goods only’ WTO compatible agreement as some African and Pacific countries are disposed to do at this time and those positions were formally conveyed to the EU. However, he added, “they have indicated their unwillingness to conclude a goods only WTO-compatible agreement with us alone,” and threatened GSP sanctions if Guyana did not sign the full agreement.
He has since responded to the President of the Commission protesting this as “unfair and unacceptable treatment” and reiterated Guyana’s readiness to sign a goods only agreement as others have done in other regions, the message stated.
Jagdeo said further in his message delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett that then EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson claimed that he had no ‘mandate’ to accommodate Guyana’s position despite the decision of the EU Council’s conclusions at its meeting of May 26 and 27, 2008, underlining “the need for a flexible approach” in relation to “problematic issues” and calling on the Commission to “use all WTO-compatible flexibility and asymmetry in order to take account of the different needs and levels of development of the ACP countries and regions.”
This is, therefore, a matter that could affect all ACP countries, Jagdeo maintained.
“In effect,” he contended, “we are being compelled to sign what we regard as a bad agreement to save our agricultural producers (sugar and rice) from economic disaster.” But before making such a decision under duress, Jagdeo said, Guyana would like to have the benefit of the ACP discussion and has so informed its regional colleagues.
Jagdeo also referred to what he called “substantial controversy” in this region “with opposition parties, civil society, sections of the private sector, trade unions and religious bodies opposed to our signing the ‘full’ agreement.”
In the meantime, Foreign Minister Rodrigues-Birkett addressing participants at the ACP Summit at Accra said that although a CARIFORUM-EU EPA has been initialled, that did not impose a legal obligation on Guyana to consent to be bound by it in whole or in part as the problem is not legal, but political.
Guyana’s foreign minister contended that Europe wanted them all to conclude a ‘full’ EPA but for Guyana it must be one that is mutually beneficial and about genuine partnership as Cotonou promised.
Meanwhile, underscoring areas of concern with the EPA, Rodrigues-Birkett declared that “We are not opposed to an EPA with Europe, but it must be one that is developmental in its thrust, which this one is not; it must be compatible with our positions at the multilateral level, which this one is not; it must keep open the door to South-South cooperation, which this one does not; it must be consistent with our regional integration strategies, which this one is not.”
She said also that the situation that confronts Guyana is one that gives no joy having a different position to that of its Caribbean colleagues and then to be confronted in a context of ‘partnership’ with what are virtually ‘sanctions’ from Europe.
The foreign minister emphasized that Guyana seeks from Europe a genuine partnership as promised in Cotonou and one that is mutually beneficial, not the one which Europe wants to conclude. She posited that the EPA Europe is advancing is one from which Europe stands to benefit by increasing pressure on Africa.
And noting the six regions into which the ACP was broken, she said that such separatism could be overcome by solidarity and cooperation and urged that they must not allow themselves to be manipulated and kept apart in their several negotiations.
“If we do, we can only have ourselves to blame. We must not allow the demolition of ACP solidarity as Europe moves at the multilateral level to dress the global EPA in WTO clothes,” Rodrigues-Birkett said.
Guyana, the foreign minister said, believes “that the Caribbean ‘full’ EPA is more important to Europe to increase pressure on Africa than for its material gains in the Caribbean – even though for us those gains are costly. We believe a strong call from the ACP at this Summit will give Europe reason to pause.”
She expressed the hope that the ACP Summit can call on the Commission to show the ‘flexibility’ the European Council called for in facilitating those ACP countries who wanted to sign in the first instance a ‘goods only’ WTO-compatible agreement whether or not other countries of their region wished to go further.
Guyana’s foreign minister further urged the Summit to unite the ACP around “a strategy that demands equity and justice from Europe, that blunts the edge of reciprocity between unequal partners and looks more to proportionality, that preserves us all from a new European supremacy in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.”
Reuters reported on Friday that the meeting concluded that Europe should stop pressuring the world’s poorest states to sign individual trade deals and allow more time for ACP nations to agree a common negotiating platform.
A declaration by leaders of the 79-nation ACP group meeting at the summit in Ghana was also to call for undisrupted trade access to the European Union market, said Mauritius’s Foreign Affairs Minister Arvin Boolell, citing a draft of the document.
You must stand your ground on this one Jadeo,you are showing real leadership on this issue,make us proud of our leader,do not be bullied.
i think Mr. Jagdeo is right and all the other caribbean leaders are dead wrong on this EPA issue… I support you Mr. President.
Those European powers are raising their neo-colonialist heads again. Too bad some Caribbean leaders are prepared to collaborate in a plan designed to foster greater under-development.
The views of all people despite how informed or analytic they are are always welcomed. We all have an opinion. Sometimes these opinions are not supported by facts or logic.
Some time ago, a report came out that Europeans/Caucasians would be the smallest racial/ethnic group in the world being overtaken by all other major ethniticies. If I recall correctly, it was a UN population report which predicted that this would happen sometime in the first half of the 21 st century. But population size means nothing over control of the “commanding heights of institutions and systems”. So have you ever wondered about globalization, the WTO and its rules in favour of the rich trading countries, all the development institutions policies, the EU and the contentious EPA, NAFTA, etc. You should.
There is no longer any free lunch. The people of developing countries need to understand that for them to enjoy the same standard of living as the people from developed countries they have to pay a huge price which can be mitigated by having democratic and accountable governments with clear vision and competence to articulate the way forward like India, China, Singapore, South Africa, Barbados and so on are doing.
We need to recognize our mistakes and stand accountable for them. We need to stop blaming everyone else expecially when we are doing nothing concrete to help ourselves.
The EPA continues to engage the region and president jagdeo continues to use this as a distraction for his failure to be responsive to the pending principles of globalized world trade. He initiated the National Development Strategy and did nothing to implement it, rather he focused on respective “Poverty Strategies” crafted by the IMF which were essentially plans to alleviate the “non-developmental” nature of their prescriptions, which according to Mr. Gaskin, a former PPP economic development czar, is worse than the EPA. Not one sound from Mr. Jagdeo because he was the one who negotiated these ‘programs’ with the IMF and would have pointed to his failure.
He now cries foul with the EU. These people have been following the progress of CARIFOURM countries and know what they could have done to get the agreement. While the IMF programs bring funding with them, there is no accountability. The EPA brings funds with it and demands accountability. Accountability is Mr. Jagdeo’s achilles’ heel.
Guyana is going around in circles and this approach to publicly rally against the Caribbean Heads of Government in the most unflattering terms by his surrogates in the Office President would not push his case, no matter how justified he is in pursuing his contentions with the EPA. The Comminique by Caricom Secretariat to HOG will fail because Jagdeo has “pelted rotten eggs” and they would not want it to land on their faces. He will have to take all; that’s a lesson of how not to engage in diplomacy…..he should just stay away from the signing and send Sam Hinds.
Well spoken Evan but I don’t think Sam Blinds has what it takes.
the europeans spend their dollars on these islands, enjoying the sun, beaches and blue waters, while their house boys and girls from the island serve them, we are not part of that, what we have to offer is agriculture products.
they already have the rotten eggs on their faces.
WHAT I HAVE NOTICED HERE ON THIS BLOGG IS THAT LOTS OF YOU HAVE
AMERICAN AND CANADIAN BRITISH FLAGS NEXT TO YOUR NAMES AND
YET STILL SOME OF YOU BAD MOUTH THE SAME COUNTRY THAT PROVIDE
JOBS AND HEALTH CARE AND A GOOD LIFE FOR YOUAND YOUR FAMILIES,
I WONDER WHY YAL STILL RESIDE IN THOSE COUNTRIES??
because they took and continue to take my country resourses.its called payback….
Too many wannabe Presidents here who know whats best for Guyana and Guyanese….But they all live outside of Guyana…This is why so many here call the administration -Dictatorship—Mr.President you were freely and fairly elected by the people for the people and you are mandated to do what you feel is right for Guyana and Guyanese….People ought to be reminded that Guyana is not one of those islands whose main economy is totally dependent on European and North American tourists.
here you go again evileyes talking nonsense, what is guyana exporting evileyes
other than illegal drugs, tell the guyanese people and also tell us why guyanese
running out of guyana by the thousands to these same countries so your argument dont make any sense whatsoever. i am off today evileyes n ready
for you and your blind supporters…..
What is it dependant on?
Thats right Jadgeo –stick to your guns . Burnham would have sold us out a long time ago .
I am neither politician nor economist, nevertheless I’ll have my say.
I think this matter calls for us to speak with one voice as the repercussions for this signing, or refusal, would be far-reaching.
I am sick and tired of these so called western countries behaving as it they have a God given right to bully the rest of the world.
The EU has a right to look after its interest and so do we. For them, trade is only ‘free” and “fair” is it benefits them immensely.
The WTO and others have been predicting that there will be a global short-fall in food production in coming years, so there may never be a better time for Guyana to develop it’s agri. potential to the fullest.
Mr. President, don’t be bullied on this one, instead,adapt a position of inclusion and see how you guys could work this out.
PS. Those enlightened bloggers who have nothing but criticism to contribute, should probably consider offering their services instead.
TURBO for leader
MR PRESIDENT
DO NOT BE BULLIED,
I SUPPORTED YOU, MR PRESIDENT GUYANIES COME FIRST
DON,T LET THEM GET TO YOU,
It is idiotic for Guyana to depend on caricom for support on anything. What Guyana should be doing is: 1. Push for stronger integration with the rest of south america economically and culturally.
2. Make the learning of Spanish mandatory from nursery to University.
3. Make Spanish our second official language.
I can bet anyone my last dollar, that we would get more support from down south than from “those people” in the Caribbean.
FREESPEECH YOU CAN CALL THE CARIBBEAN ALL KIND OF NAMES BUT
YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT HUNDREDS OF GUYANESE RUN TO
THE SHORES OF THESE COUNTRIES TO MAKE A GOOD LIVING, MAYBE
THE HOUSE BOYS AND GIRLS ARE GUYANESE…..
torbo torbo dont get tied up in technical things if you dont understand it…did you really say what is guyana exporting other than illegal drugs….tell me you didnt realy meant to say that….if not we have nothing to fight about…like the nonsense trash getin to ya….case closed
on tourists dollazzz ehehehehehehehe