The Ministry of Foreign Relations announced the suspension, without a postponement date, of the signing of the free trade agreement with the Caribbean (Caricom). Local soft drink companies opposed the agreement when Caricom negotiators requested that the soft drinks not be excluded from free trade treatment. The Ministry of Foreign Relations said the suspension was to provide additional time so that the parties could discuss the including or not of the soft drinks in the agreement. For more on this issue, see http://www.dr1.com/daily/news180400.shtml
