The Dominican Republic and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) will sign a free trade agreement on 22 August at 10 am. The statesmen from the English-speaking Caribbean will sign the agreement at the closing of the Cariforum meeting that is scheduled for the Hotel Jaragua. Cariforum gathers the member nations of the Lomé Convention that allows for duty free exports to Europe. They will be meeting in Santo Domingo 20-22 August. Caricom and Dominican negotiators concluded the seventh round of negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign Relations this week. The chiefs of state that will sign the free trade agreement are, in addition to President Leonel Fernández: Prime Minister Lester B. Bird, Antigua and Barbuda; Prime Minister Hubert A. Ingraham, Bahamas; Prime Minister Owen Arthur, Barbados; Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel, Belize; Prime Minister Edison C. James, Dominica; Prime Minister Keith C. Mitchell, Grenada; President Janet Jagan, Guyana; Prime Minister Percival J. Patterson, Jamaica; Prime Minister David Brand, Montserrat; Prime Minister Denzil L. Douglas, St. Kitts & Nevis; Prime Minister Kenny D. Anthony, St. Lucia; President Jules Wijdenbosch, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago Basdeo Pandy. Also attending the meeting will be the President of Haiti, Rene Preval and the President of Cuba, Fidel Castro.
