Fiji seeks united stand ahead of EU meeting

Fiji has urged fellow trade ministers from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states to develop a unified message on trade before meeting the European Commission this week, the Ministry of Information said today. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Fiji's Attorney-General and Minister for Industry and Trade, made the call while chairing the two-day deliberations of the 16th ACP Group Ministerial Trade Committee Meeting before co-chairing the ACP-EU Joint Ministerial Trade Committee meeting in Brussels on Friday.

Sayed-Khaiyum urged the 260 delegates, representing 64 countries in the developing world, to act quickly to end the current uncertainty on a number of critical issues, Xinhua news agency reported. He said that in order to achieve the best outcome for the peoples of the ACP nations, the ministers needed to urgently address remaining issues relating to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU. "This is an important opportunity for ACP trade ministers and we must be well prepared to have constructive dialogue on key issues on trade and development with the Europeans," he said. The Fijian senior official highlighted the importance of finalising a unified position on the EPA before going into the ACP-EU trade meeting on Friday.

"I encourage all of us to put forward innovative but pragmatic solutions to resolve the outstanding issues and conclude negotiations on a Comprehensive EPA for the benefit of all," he said. "I would like to request that at this ACP Ministerial Trade Committee meeting, all discussions and deliberations are focused with a view to forwarding pragmatic proposals to ensure that a collective and united message is put clearly across," he added.