Retiring Chief Negotiator with the Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNMN), Sir Shridath Ramphal, has praised various regional officials, including the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Community's Secretary-General Mr. Edwin Carrington and his staff for their support of and confidence in the RNM and its College of Negotiators.

Speaking in The Bahamas, the venue for 22^nd Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, Sir Shridath also commended the Region's Ministers of Government, officials in Member States and staff of Member States in various Diplomatic Missions, especially in Europe and the Hemisphere for their effort and dedicated service to the Region.

He said the RNM has "worked with the CARICOM Secretariat with increasing harmony and practical utility."

Sir Shridath said both he and the former lead negotiator, Sir Allister McIntyre, supported by a team of technical experts had worked with much success at ensuring that the Caribbean speak with a unified voice at hemispheric and global negotiating table.

"We have excelled at the negotiating table," said Sir Shridath " At the negotiating table we are a unified Region speaking with one voice to a common brief. We have managed to achieve this very quickly with a high degree of success."

He added that the RNM was able to get some of the best brains in the Region on board and credited the Heads of Government for encouraging the assembly of such brilliant minds.

Sir Shridath said the Caribbean has had successes with the European Union (EU), Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He stressed too that the successes at the Summit of the Americas (OAS) process was due in great part to the unified approach of the Region.

Sir Shridath added that a major success for the Caribbean and other Island States was the acceptance by the International Community that such States needed to be accorded special treatment in the negotiating process due to pecul1arities such as size and scale of economy.

He added that the RNM has evolved in responding to a need and is now a powerful voice at the negotiating table, expertly addressing the issues of concern to and in the interest of the Caribbean.