It has proven to be a most valuable partner in the Community's trade and economic negotiations with the global community.

Coming against the vision that had inspired the establishment of a high-level West Indian Commission---whose 1992 report remains a valuable document of ideas on efforts to shape a better future for the peoples of the Caribbean---the CRNM has succeeded, over the years, in emerging as an indispensable arm of CARICOM, now in its 30th year.

Originally created under the distinguished leadership of Sir Shridath Ramphal as Chief Negotiator, the CRNM was designed to "develop and execute an overall negotiating strategy" for various trade-related negotiations.

Experience was to prove that this would involve, at varying periods, simultaneous negotiations encompassing the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of countries; World Trade Organisation and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), with the Chief Negotiator and his team producing negotiating options articulated in what appeared variously in "red" and "blue" documents.

As Ramphal, who demit office in December 2001, observed: "Never before has the Caribbean, and developing countries in general, faced at one time so varied and complex a negotiating process on matters that have a direct impact on the lives of present and future generations...."

By 2002, the Jamaica-born economist and former long serving ambassador, Dr Richard Bernal, became Director General of a restructured CRNM. And it continued to overcome operational financial problems with the help of foreign donors, including Britain, Canada and the USA, as well as the Caribbean Development Bank.

Of course, it would be politically correct for defaulting member states of CARICOM to honour their financial obligations for the operations of the CRNM, as it would be for less dependence on financial support from foreign donors with which we have to conduct our trade and economic negotiations.

Nevertheless, building on the foundation laid during the first phase of the CRNM, with a top structure that then included the well-known Caribbean intellectual Alister McIntyre as Chief Technical Adviser, the Machinery, under the guidance of Bernal set about charting a new focus. Its technical staff is a mix of new and old experienced hands, among them Trinidad-born international affairs specialist Henry Gill, as Senior Director.

Just over a week ago, the European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, was eagerly discussing with Bernal the work of the CRNM, following a meeting in St.Lucia of EU/ACP Trade Ministers.

The Barbados-based Secretariat subsequently explained that the EU's Lamy showed much interest in the concept, structure and operations of the CRNM during an hour-long meeting with Director General Bernal.

He expressed the view that the negotiating mechanism could serve as "an important model" for other developing countries, especially those that are not part of regional integration movements but, nevertheless, are obligated to negotiate Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the EU.

In preparation to help member countries---those of CARICOM plus the Dominican Republic and Cuba---to deal with coming complex external trade and economic negotiations, the RNM team of technocrats, headed by Bernal, have crafted and circulated to the region's governments a five-year "strategic plan".

Basically, it constitutes the second phase of the operations of the CRNM, coinciding with the conclusion of the 2004 negotiations for involvement with the FTAA, and culminating in ACP-EU 2007 negotiations.

The new or revised mandate, as explained in the draft 36-page "strategic plan" reveals the shift in focus from the first phase of the CRNM from preparatory negotiation on so-called "ground rules" to "full, simultaneous engagement on the text and content of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)".

This is in addition to involvement in bilateral talks that are likely to emerge with many of them being subject areas new to the Caribbean region and requiring technical expertise not readily available or easily accessible.

It was very much this situation in mind that the Prime Minister of Jamaica, P. J. Patterson, who heads CARICOM's Prime Ministerial Sub-committee on External Negotiations, had urged in a review of the operations of the CRNM that it "should work to develop a cohesive and effective framework for the coordination and management of the Community's negotiating resources and expertise".

The overall objective of the mandate, as captured in the CRNM's new five-year strategic plan, is the expressed desire to ensure that the Caribbean "finds a comfortable 'space' in a globalised world economy, and that its development is not impeded by changes in global trade arrangements".

With this focus, the CRNM has offered as its "vision statement", to be "the primary catalyst and agent of change leading the process through which the region maximises the benefits available from trade in the new challenging, global economic order".

*The five-year strategic plan, covering seven main areas for the new thrust in external negotiations will embrace, among others, work programmes involving production of a final hemispheric-wide FTAA (including Cuba?) by December 2004;

*Intensification of WTO negotiations on agriculture, services, intellectual property and implementation issues; conclusion of a Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (REPA) with the EU and completion of a possible new Canada-CARICOM Free Trade Agreement.

Overall, the importance of the CRNM to the Caribbean that spans all four major language areas of the region, is generally recognised.