President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo. Guyana has been one of the most vocal critics of the new trade agreement with Europe.

UNITED NATIONS (CMC):

Guyana took its opposition to the controversial Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to the United Nations on Tuesday with President Bharrat Jagdeo urging European leaders to review the accord "even at this late hour".

Guyana is the lone Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country that has said it will not sign the EPA, negotiated between Europe and CARIFORUM - CARICOM member states and the Dominican Republic. President Jagdeo suggested an alternative 'goods only' accord with Europe but that proposal was shot down during a special summit of Caribbean leaders in Barbados earlier this month.

Potential effects of deal

Addressing the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday night he said that the deal, which will now govern trade and aid between Europe and its former colonies in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) grouping, may "fundamentally affect development in our societies and jeopardise our future negotiating positions at the WTO (World Trade Organisation)".

"These agreements will also seriously prejudice our negotiations with other countries and may jeopardise the future of our integration movement," he charged. "The exploitation of the EU superior negotiating strength and the use of threats to get countries to sign are, ironically, how the EU hopes to start this partnership under the EPA."

"Even at this late hour, I wish to plead with the EU leaders to review these agreements before they irretrievably harm the good historic relations that have existed between the ACP and the EU," Jagdeo added.

Irksome

He told the UN meeting that "what is particularly irksome is that we are incessantly lectured by the same group of countries that national and working with civil societies are essential hallmarks of good governance".

"Yet, when the same civil societies oppose the EPA on the grounds that it is not sufficiently developmental in nature, we are told to ignore them; that they are complainers," Jagdeo said.

The other CARICOM leaders have said they will sign the trade deal with Europe sometime this month. The deadline is October 31.