El Siglo reported that negotiations with the Caribbean Community that would lead to the signing of a free trade agreement with the Dominican Republic are stalled. Frederic Emam-Zadé, in charge of negotiations on behalf of the Dominican government, said that several of the islands demand preferential treatment. The Dominican Republic seeks trade reciprocity with the islands. While overall, the Dominican Republic is a larger island, the per capita income level of Dominicans is lower than that of many of the small islands. St. Kitts, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados are demanding preferential trade treatment. Emam-Zade also said there has been resistance to including Dominican free zone produce in the treaty. The last round of negotiations was held in Trinidad & Tobago from 9-10 March. A new round of negotiations was supposed to be held this week in Santo Domingo, but negotiators have postponed the later to deal with the impasse.
