CARIBBEAN Community (Caricom) negotiators yesterday embarked on a two-day round of talks, determined to strengthen its trading position against what Belize’s Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Eamon Courtenay described as its uncaring American and European counterparts.

Courtenay’s comments during yesterday’s opening ceremony for the 20th special meeting of Caricom’s Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), gave the fillip to earlier remarks by Jamaica’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anthony Hylton.

“It seems to me that the European Union (EU), in light of recent letters emanating from the commission, have taken a far less enlightened attitude and approach to their relations with us and with other developing countries,” Courtenay said.

“They no longer appear to be attuned and sympathetic and understanding of the position and plight of their former colonies.

They have warmly welcomed and appreciated a far more market-oriented approach to trade relations as they say. This has created challenges and has implications for us and our deliberations over the next two days,” he continued.

Adding that the United States Congress and administration also seemed to be paying scant regard to the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) which was set up in 1984 to provide tariff and trade benefits to several countries in Central America and the Caribbean, Courtenay urged the regional negotiators not to be saddened by the less favourable trade climate.

“It is time for us to respond in a meaningful and direct way to the challenges we face.we need frank dialogue and advice from our experts … we have different views but common objectives,” he said.

The outcome of the two-day round of talks, which Hylton said should be conducted with a view to blocking disadvantageous deals, will pave the way for the joint meeting of the prime ministerial sub committees on external trade negotiations and the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller next Monday and Tuesday.

The outcome of next week’s talks will in turn inform Caricom’s upcoming 18th intersessional heads of government meeting in St Vincent and the Grenadines between February 12 and 14.