Caribbean banana producers have expressed disappointment with the WTO decision to side with Latin American producers.

Depsite this, in a statement, the Windward Islands Banana Development Company (WIBDECO) said it took comfort in the fact the arbitrator rejected what it described as "the wilder flights of fancy of the [Latin American] countries".

These included, WIBDECO said, a claim to a guarantee of their current import volumes in perpetuity and arguments that the tariff equivalent of the current regime was €75 or less.

However, in a statement the company said: "Nevertheless, the negotiations that must now ensue are very serious for much of the Caribbean banana trade and it is ironic that these negotiations will take place essentially between the EU and the [Latin American] countries."

The company said the arguments put forward by Latin American producers made it difficult to believe that they would agree to a regime with a tariff level that would permit the ACP banana industries to survive.

The statement continued: "We hope that common sense will break through and lead to negotiations for a more gradual transition to tariff-only on a basis that is fair to all suppliers - as well as to consumers."

It added that if there was to be a tariff rate quota on ACP imports, it would urge the European Commission to ensure any change in the quota or import licence allocation system does not place the traditional ACP operators in a worse position than they are at present.

Gordon Myers, author of the book Banana Wars, said: "It is remarkable that the arbitrators considered the ACP preference to be a key issue, yet nevertheless refused to allow the ACP the status of interested parties.

"This is typical of the way that the WTO have treated the ACP from the outset. in the first WTO Banana case, fully

accredited members of Windward Island delegations were expelled from the panel hearing on the grounds that they were not permanent government

officials, an approach since accepted as wholly unjust. Plus ca."

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