ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Antigua & Barbuda has written to Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque requesting technical support for national consultations being planned for next month on the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).

The correspondence has been penned by Minister of State in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Senator Joanne Massiah, and follows last month’s meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) that discussed recommendations of a report on restrictions to the full integration of OECS states and Belize in the CSME.

Massiah communicated that the consultations should include presentations of Cabinet, senior public and private sector entities and non-governmental organisations.

“The consultations should also address the challenges which conform Antigua & Barbuda in honouring our obligations under the Revised Caricom Treaty,” she noted.

During the COTED meeting, a document was presented on a proposed work programme, implementation plan and financing for the Less Developed Countries (LDC).

This included a 10-year development programme valued at US $282.3 million that would be funded by the respected states, and regional and international partners.

The report is based on recommendations on ways that LDCs can overcome the hurdles that limit their involvement in the CSME.

In her missive to the Caricom head, Senator Massiah stated that, “focus should be given to discuss whether or not the package of recommendations sufficiently caters to our domestic circumstances.”