Another New Section Dedicated to the Rest of the Caribbean I Dubbed: Abeng- issue #1

FIRST SERIOUS NEWS ABOUT ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: This serious ramifications as it pertains WTO, Liberalization of education in the Caribbean, GATS and how we view the WTO and violation of trade acts. I think every one ought to read this.


Antigua beats odds: WTO confirms ruling against US on web gambling
Technology - AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP)

Antigua and Barbuda beat long odds as the World Trade Organization confirmed a ruling that a ban in the United States on Internet gambling violates global trading rules.

The Geneva-based WTO, in a report released Wednesday, held that the US ban on web gambling is effectively an unfair trade barrier that hurts the gaming industry of the tiny two-island Caribbean nation.

US prohibitions on Internet gambling "are inconsistent with US obligations" under the 1995 General Agreement on Tariffs and Services, the WTO panel wrote in Geneva, affirming an interim decision in March.

In a statement, Antigua welcomed the decision and called it "reminiscent of the story of David and Goliath."

But Richard Mills of the office of the US Trade Representative called the decision "deeply flawed" and pointed out that Washington "clearly intended to exclude gambling from US services commitments" when the agreements were negotiated.

"We will vigorously appeal this deeply flawed report to the WTO Appellate Body and remain confident in the basis for reversing this panel report," he said.

A senior US trade official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if the US appeal fails, Washington may simply revise its commitment under the GATS agreement to exclude gambling. (If uncle sam can revise why can't we revise our commitments as it pertains to the liberalization of education)

"The parties do retain rights to make changes under GATS," the official said.

The WTO panel ruling acknowledged that Washington may have intended to exclude gambling from the treaty but that Internet gambling is covered under the services agreement of global trade agreements.

"We have, therefore, some sympathy with the United States' point in this regard," the WTO panel wrote.

"However, the scope of a specific commitment cannot depend upon what a member intended or did not intend to do at the time of the negotiations."

A patchwork of regulations in US states regulate gambling, while federal laws ban any form of "interstate" betting. US Justice Department (news - web sites) officials contend that any Internet gambling is illegal, but prosecution has been spotty.

Antigua argued that since many forms of wagering are permitted in the United States -- such as casino gambling in Las Vegas and elsewhere and horse track betting -- that a ban on gambling from "remote" gambling from the Internet was unfair.

The senior US official rejected this argument, saying, "I don't think it's fair to say because there's gambling in Las Vegas it undermines a ban on Internet gambling, where you could have minors participating."

The official added that because this ban applies to US and non-US gaming operators, "Antigua and Barbuda is not being treated any differently from any US company."

Washington also maintained that GATS allows each member country latitude in regulating "public morals."

But the WTO wrote that the arguments from Washington carry less weight because of the wide variety of gambling options that are legal in the United States.

Antigua had claimed it lost more than 90 million dollars and 4,000 jobs because of the US ban.

"The United States has taken an aggressive approach to betting services based overseas," the government said in a statement.

"However, the US government raises significant revenue from betting services within its own borders and the Interactive Gaming Council (trade group) suggests the United States is home to at least half the worldwide online gaming market."

"The US says it wants open competition," said Ronald Sanders, Antigua's former WTO ambassador.

"But it only wants free trade when it suits the US."



CARICOM ban remains on Haiti
published in The Dailey Gleaner: Wednesday November 10, 2004
By Lindsay Mackoon, Gleaner Correspondent
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad

CARIBBEAN LEADERS have taken a decision not to readmit Haiti into the fold of the 15-member regional grouping, CARICOM.

A ban was imposed on the French-speaking state following the ousting of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide earlier this year.

The decision against lifting the ban was made yesterday as regional leaders wound up a two-day special summit at the Hilton Hotel here.

CARICOM chairman, Dr. Keith Mitchell, the Grenada Prime Minister, told reporters the community was sticking to its guns. He said: There will be no interaction with Haiti at the regional level, even though individual countries may wish to do so. But we will continue to provide assistance as promised."

VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED

St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana and St. Lucia are vehemently opposed to the idea of dialogue with Haiti, arguing that the country's democracy was breached when Aristide was toppled in February.

It was also announced that implementation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) has been pushed back. It was scheduled to become operational from the beginning of 2005.

Also last night, Trinidad and Jamaica signed an energy agreement. Trinidad's Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, declined to go into the details of the pact.

However, he did say Jamaica will supply Trinidad with bauxite for a multimillion dollar aluminium smelter plant to be established in South Trinidad next year. Prime Minister P. J. Patterson signed on behalf of Jamaica. The two men inked a similar agreement in Kingston last week.

RASTA APPOINTED TO BARBADOS GOVERNMENT

The Bajan government appointed Ikael Tafari to be the director of the Commission for Pan African Affairs, Prime Minister Owen Arthur's office announced.

Tafari, 54, was a former sociology professor at the University of the West Indies' Cave Hill campus outside the capital. ( When will this ever happen in Jamaica???)


Trinidad sets up loan fund for regional companies
Observer Reporter
Sunday, October 31, 2004

A billion-dollar revolving loan fund aimed at encouraging regional market competitiveness and accessible to qualified businesses was launched in Kingston Friday as part of the region's deeper integration programme.

Trinidad and Tobago is offering the loan facility, and its businesses are exempt.
The fund, which is the main component of the Caricom Trade Support programme (CTS), is an initiative of the T&T government.

Aimed at promoting industry and market competitiveness in the region, CTS will disburse interest-free loans through regional commercial banks.

Traditional and non-traditional sectors, ranging from agriculture, tourism, entertainment and information technology, will have access to the loans which will be disbursed in three annual tranches over the period 2005 to 2007.

At TT$100 million which converts to J$1 billion or US$16 million, the fund represents a fraction of Trinidad's US$600-m trade balance with Caricom for 2002.
And according to Jerry Narace, the CTS head, the loan fund programme is meant to address some of that imbalance.

"Trinidad & Tobago is not comfortable with a Caricom balance of trade that tips so heavily in our favour and we feel that it's our responsibility to try and correct this for the region's long-term development," said Narace.

KD Knight, Jamaica's foreign affairs and foreign trade minister, quoted the Jamaica/TT 2002 trade figures which highlighted the imbalance.
Said Knight: "74 per cent of Jamaica's Caricom imports are from Trinidad and Tobago, while 14 per cent of Jamaica's Caricom export goes to Trinidad and Tobago."

He also made the point that while Jamaica imported more Caricom products in the last decade, deepening regional trade in the process, her Caricom exports declined over the same period.

"Caricom imports have moved from 3.7 per cent of total Jamaican imports in 1992 to 11.2 per cent in 2002, but our exports have declined from US$60m in 1992 to US$48m in 2002," said Knight.

The minister, however, quoted the 2003 foreign direct investment (FDI) figure of over US$720m that flowed to
Jamaica in efforts to temper the negative trade picture.
Under the CTS, eligible loan applicants should be profit-oriented entities based in a Caricom member state, except for Trinidad. They may be private companies, corporations, limited liability or public companies.

Companies without working capital, those at the start-up level of operation and which are void of trade experience and those who engage in harmful environmental practices, will not qualify.

Applicants can expect to have their loans processed within 45 days, once they have fulfilled the requirements.

"Trinidad and Tobago's economic health is linked with that of the rest of the Caribbean and so this is also in their best interest," said Dr Edwin Carrington, Caricom secretary-general.

He also underscored the point that the CTS was not meant for government, but to be used by the regional business sector.