?We were pawns in these negotiations for the creation of a larger framework? – Jagdeo President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday said that there is still a very long way to go in implementing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).President Bharrat Jagdeo According to him, there are going to be problems with money to implement a lot of the policies. There are supply side issues and a whole range of other infrastructural needs that have to be dealt with.“I was tempted to call for moratorium on the implementation of the EPA until the (global) financial crisis settles.”The Head of State was at the time delivering an address at the opening ceremony of the Third Regional Meeting of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (Caribbean Region) yesterday at the Guyana International Conference Centre.The main item on the agenda of this two-day meeting is the EPA, which was signed last October with the Cariforum Member States.The President said that there is no money to address the supply side constraints.“We still have a major way to go in implementing this agreement.First of all there is no money to address the supply side constraints; we don?t have money to do that and that?s the problem. We can?t produce more, we can?t take advantage of the markets; we have a whole range of supply side problems and there is no money for that.”He added that the institutional capacity is not there to enhance the competitiveness of the products.“Our ranking system is shallow, our infrastructure is limited; all adds to the cost of doing business. The cost of capitalism is relatively high; the cost of utilities,[url=http://www.salecheapjerseys.us@#$%&/]NFL Cheap Jerseys[/url], the cost of shipping things are all high because of the absence of infrastructure,” President Jagdeo lamented.“How do you expect,[url=http://www.cheapnfljerseysmr.us@#$%&/]NFL Jerseys Supply[/url], unless you address those,[url=http://www.nfljerseyschinaauthentic.us]Cheap NFL Jerseys China[/url], not just the policy constraints but those real constraints, to take advantage of large markets? This is why, although we had a long period of one-way access into Europe for many products, we never managed to take advantage of those.”He pointed that investment has dried up in most regions and thus the investments that are needed in the economy now by opening it up are not coming because investors cannot find money.“The thing that bothers us a lot in this part of the world is that we thought that this relationship between the ACP and Europe was built on trust and goodwill and that we had good-faith negotiations. I would say to you that is not the case.”According to him, there are some good things in the Cotonou Agreement but it also speaks of good-faith negotiations,[url=http://www.wholesalenfljerseyssale.us@#$%&/]Cheap NFL Jerseys[/url], consultation and ensuring that whatever is done? WTO and compatible preserving the benefits – all of those sections result were conveniently ignored.President Jagdeo added that it was thought that the need to study issues before moving to create policies to change them was part of the Cotonou Agreement and the partnership.However, he added, they found that in the negotiations they were unequal partners.“And they had the threat that if we didn?t do it by a particular date we would lose preferences ? you don?t build partnerships by starting off with threats.”He noted his concern that in future relations or agreements the ACP will be a little less trusting.“I hope that the parliamentarians from both sides would work towards restoring this trust?”President Jagdeo also pointed out that the objections to the EPA were documented and the ones who fought against certain provisions in the EPA were portrayed as not modern and as living in the past.“?And all we were trying to do was to defend our region?s interest, our societies? interest because what bothers me is that if France could argue for and get protection for its sugar industry in Guadeloupe and Martinique and we live in the same region and yet they are saying the European Union that you don?t need protection for your industry, you don?t need the preferences,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysshare.us@#$%&/]NFL Jerseys Supply[/url], we feel it?s double standard.”“I feel, frankly speaking, that we were pawns in these negotiations for the creation of a larger framework,” President Jagdeo asserted.He also said that this region?s trade with Europe is minuscule but Europe sought some agreements that they felt might have influenced the wider trade negotiations and set the agenda.“It?s just a feeling of mine; it?s not substantiated by anything.”The Joint Parliamentary Assembly meeting,[url=http://www.wholesalenfljerseyssale.us@#$%&/]Wholesale Jerseys[/url], which will end tomorrow, will bring together equal numbers of Parliamentarians from member states of the ACP Group from the Caribbean to deliberate on issues of specific interest to the Region. They include Regional Integration and the Regional Strategy Paper for the Caribbean and relations with Latin America, Overseas Countries and Territories and French Ultra-peripheral regions.Climate change and natural disasters and their impact on the region; Security; Human Rights; Elections and Governance in the Caribbean Region; the Financial Credit Crisis and its impact on the region as well as Narcotics Trade will also be discussed.Also speaking at the opening were Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkaran, Co President and Acting Co-President of the ACP-EU JPA, Glenys Kinnock and Otmar Rodgers respectively.