by RICKEY SINGH

CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY GOVERNMENTS should take the initiative for a special summit of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) governments in the interest of collectively securing "the best possible" economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with the European Union.

That suggestion has come from Sir Shridath Ramphal, who once headed the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery and, with former Jamaican prime minister P.J. Patterson, had played key roles in the inauguration of the original ACP group of countries back in 1975.

Call for the summit of the now 79-member ACP came from the former Commonwealth Secretary General in an interview Tuesday night with the Caribbean Brodcasting Corporation (CBC), as plans were being finalised for a two-day special meeting in Montego Bay between Caribbean leaders and top
EU officials.

Sir Shridath left Barbados yesterday for a meeting in Jamaica not connected with the two-day Montego Bay conference involving heads of government of CARIFORUM (CARICOM plus Dominican Republic) and the Trade and Development Commissioners of the EU.