(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)     Agreements that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have entered into and those that are to be negotiated shortly, form the core of the agenda of a Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).

The Thirty-First Special Meeting will be held in Georgetown, Guyana, on Monday 2 March 2009. Officials begin meeting on Friday 27 February 2009.

The Ministers are to consider the negotiating positions to be put forward by CARICOM in talks with Canada for a Trade and Development Agreement. Once these are sanctioned by the Ministers, it will be presented to the Heads of Government for their approval prior to the commencement of negotiations.

The issue of the upcoming negotiations was among items discussed last week in Georgetown by His Excellency Edwin Carrington, CARICOM Secretary-General and the Honourable Peter Kent Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas) of Canada. The Minister of State indicated at that meeting that Canada desired an agreement that would also address issues such as labour, health and human rights while the Secretary-General said CARICOM would be seeking an agreement which included trade-related development.

The Council on Monday will also discuss the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed between the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) and the European Community (EC) in October last year.

A Unit was recently established at the CARICOM Secretariat to coordinate the implementation of the EPA. Among its duties is to provide in-country hands-on assistance and model legislation to give effect to some of the obligations under the Agreement.

Discussion will also be held on the CARICOM-United States Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).