Caribbean Report 31-01-1992

Abstract

The Trinidad and Tobago government decides to cancel its scheduled hosting of Carifesta, due to budgetary constraints. There is a call for a common position on the Common Extenal Tariff (CET) by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (O.E.C.S.) and the complications of this to the implementation of the CET is highlighted. The chairman of the O.E.C.S., Nicholas Brathwaite, says the present tariff structure of the CET is against the best interest of the region. There is a report on the proposal to be presented by the Caricom secretariat on the attempt to create a single market and the Director of Trade and Agriculture, Haydon Blades of the Gerogetown based Secretariat is inteviewed. He says that the Caricom treaty is too rigid and that member states may respond to a structure that offers a greater degree of choice. There are reports also on the statements made by three leading figures of Caricom which it is said cast a shadow over attempts to create a truly dynamic regional integration movement. An assesment is made of these statements by Barbadian atorney, Oliver Jackman.