First Meeting of NTNC looks at International Trade Issues

The National Trade Negotiating Commission has held its first regular meeting in Belmopan.  Among the issues representatives addressed were exports to Guatemala and Mexico and a potential trade agreement between Belize and Mexico.  Other matters were front of package warning labels, World Trade Organization negotiations on fisheries subsidies, the Trade Facilitation Road Map recently approved by Cabinet, and targeted industries for investments to CARICOM.   The N.T.N.C. approved the creation of a Task Force on Payments to assist Belizean traders sending and receiving payments from Central America and Mexico.  The commission is comprised of representatives of government ministries, departments and agencies, the private sector and civil society, labour groups, non-government organizations and academia.  The first regular meeting was co-chaired by Ambassador Amalia Mai, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and private sector representative Emile Mena.