Asked about reports that Trinidad and Tobago has informally suggested negotiating a bilateral trade pact with the Dominican Republic, Minister of Foreign Relations Eduardo Latorre said such a possibility was very unlikely. The DR plans to stick with the multilateral approach agreed to with the Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM) in a framework agreement signed this past August. Trinidad and Tobago is the largest market within CARICOM, and has recently indicated its eagerness to increase trade with the DR. Talks with CARICOM were suspended by the DR earlier this month when the trade bloc proposed some 500 products for the "negative list" which will be exempted from the trade agreementís liberalization rules. By contrast, the DR only proposed ten items for the negative list, including sugar, rice, beer, cigarettes, cement and five metal products produced by METALDOM. The two sides agreed that CARICOM would review its proposed list and the DR would analyze the trade impact of the CARICOM proposal. Dr. Latorre affirmed yesterday that the two sides will resume negotiations in January at an unspecified date.
