Thursday, 26 May 2005

Ministers of Trade and Commerce of the Pacific ACP Group, Representatives of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific, Official Observers, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the meeting of Pacific ACP Trade Ministers. At your last meeting here in September 2004, you mandated a number of important tasks for your trade officials and the Forum Secretariat to undertake on behalf of our PACP Group. In that regard, I am pleased to inform you that significant progress has been made in terms of our overall preparations for the EPA negotiations. This positive momentum in our regional preparations was made possible because of the support and the continuing close cooperation the Forum receives from all PACP States, CROP Agencies (in particular, the FFA and SPTO) and other partner organisations such as the Commonwealth Secretariat. That momentum is of course also very substantially the result of the advice and support of the Regional Negotiating Team (RNT) and the Trade Experts Advisory Group (TEAG), and for that we also express our gratitude.