Patterson: FTAA Comatose, but has Lessons for WTO

CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – “It is with a measure of disappointment that on the eve of my departure from office as Prime Minister of Jamaica and Chairman of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on External Negotiations of CARICOM, the FTAA – a central, and probably the most important element of our collective vision – has faltered on the rock of political will.”  These were the sentiments of the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Most Hon. P. J. Patterson, who this afternoon addressed a Special Session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C..
In a wide-ranging speech to the gathering, Prime Minister Patterson reflected on Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations, in hiatus for the last two years – “comatose”, as the Prime Minister described them.  He noted that when FTAA negotiations were formally launched, CARICOM was fully cognizant of the contribution that economic integration and trade liberalization in the Americas could make to the achievement of the Summit of the Americas objectives of creating jobs to fight poverty and strengthen democratic governance in the Hemisphere.  But Patterson acknowledged that if, indeed, there is no future for the FTAA, countries have to explore their options.
The Jamaican leader went on to suggest that all is not lost in respect of the FTAA.  In troubled World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Development Round negotiations, important initiatives and achievements of the FTAA could serve as ‘best practices’ as regards work programmes targeting small, vulnerable countries, providing impetus for advancing discussions in the WTO in this respect.  Prime Minister Patterson suggested that the Work Programme for Small Economies in the Doha Round as well as the recent ‘Aid for Trade’ initiative could build on various initiatives and achievements emanating from the FTAA arena.  Recognized as a special category of countries in the FTAA arena, it has been acknowledged that smaller economies require significant assistance to help in adjustment, hence the development of the concept of a Hemispheric Cooperation Programme (HCP). The HCP initiative could inform the ‘Aid for Trade’ discussions in the WTO arena, and aspects of special and differential treatment in favor of smaller economies as reflected in the FTAA arena could be adapted as fundamental principles informing WTO negotiations.
Prime Minister Patterson made a clarion call for the collective vision of growth, economic prosperity and stability for the Hemisphere not to be confined to the narrow territorial boundaries of the Hemisphere. “Let us broaden the boundaries of our collaboration beyond the OAS and the United Nations.  It is time for the Caribbean and Latin American countries to pool our collective bargaining resources in the WTO, where we also have common goals and concerns,” he said.
Prime Minister Patterson placed on record the appreciation of CARICOM for the contribution of organizations such as the OAS and CIDA to technical assistance and capacity building in the Hemisphere and to CARICOM countries in particular.  He underscored that “as we contemplate the multiple trade agendas facing our region, there will be need for sustained assistance to ensure our adjustment and implementation of these new obligations.
Prime Minister Patterson was introduced to the audience of diplomats and senior officials by OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, who lauded the Jamaican leader for his role in deepening Caribbean integration and for his contribution to Hemispheric processes.  Prime Minister Patterson is due to demit office in a few weeks.