Basseterre----11 Oct. 2006----St. Kitts and Nevis hosts the 21st European Union–Latin America and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) Senior Officials Meeting from 13th to 14th October, 2006.

This meeting follows the 4th EU-LAC Summit which was held in Vienna, Austria in May of this year and precedes the 5th EU-LAC Summit scheduled for Lima, the Peruvian capital in 2008.

The Presidency of the European Union is currently held by the Government of Finland while the Latin America and the Caribbean Presidency is held by the Government of Peru.

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of  Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, will give the Opening Address.

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Government of Peru will jointly host a Welcome Reception on honour of its guests at the St. Marriott Hotel on Friday 13th October, 2006.

Representatives from EU-LAC countries will discuss the outcome of the Vienna Summit as well as begin to prepare a working calendar leading to the upcoming Lima Summit.  Also on the agenda for discussion are topics such as bi-regional relations and cooperation, the environment and social cohesion.

Regional participation through CARIFORUM member states (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago) well seek to enhance the role of Caribbean States in the EU-LAC process.

Check the Communication's Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister Website: www.cuopm.org, www.cuopm.net or www.cuopm.com