CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – The Director-General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM), Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, met with The Honourable Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in Port of Spain today. Ambassador Bernal and the Prime Minister had an exchange of views on the status of negotiations across the three major external trade negotiating theatres the region is involved in; namely, the World Trade Organization (WTO), Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and CARIFORUM-European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). In discussions with Prime Minister Manning, the RNM head also noted the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) constitutes a cornerstone of the region’s response to the challenges posed by globalization, and underscored the importance of pressing ahead with its schedule of implementation. Dr. Bernal described the meeting as “very constructive”. Ambassador Bernal also met today with a senior representative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Sub-regional Headquarters for the Caribbean. The interchange centered on closer collaboration, in the future, between the Port of Spain-based Secretariat and the RNM. In a bilateral meeting convened yesterday, in Port of Spain, with Hon. Kenneth Valley, Minister of Trade and Industry - Trinidad and Tobago, the RNM head and the Minister took stock of the state of external trade negotiations; especially as they relate to bilateral trade initiatives involving the region. Particular focus was on the scope and elements of negotiations for a CARICOM-Canada enhanced trade arrangement. The RNM’s Director of Technical Cooperation & Partnerships, Dr. Deryck Brown, also took part in these meetings. The RNM Director-General is scheduled to meet tomorrow with the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association. The meeting is expected to take into consideration recent developments in external trade negotiations. The encounter is part of the RNM’s efforts to strengthen dialogue with Member States’ private sectors. In explaining the importance of the meeting, Ambassador Bernal highlighted “it is the private sector that trades, not governments”. As part of his programme of activities tomorrow, the RNM chief is also scheduled to visit the ‘Point Lisas Industrial Estate’, an energy sector industrial complex.