1.   President Rafael Leonardo Callejas of Honduras said that the economic prospects of exclusion were unacceptable and catastrophic for us and that Caribbean producers were very inefficient.

2.   Caribbean producers urged the EU to ask for a waiver that would allow it to maintain the existing rules.

3.   Chiquita Brands International is upset because of a trade agreement that guarantees Caribbean producers access to the banana market in countries of the European Union.

4.   Meeting that proved too expensive to allow the Caribbean producers to compete.

5.   U.S. ethanol producers complained that the plan gave the Caribbean producers an unfair advantage.

6.   Patrick Clara said Friday he had to cancel a shipment of refrigerators and it was too late to order from Caribbean producers for the Christmas season.

7.   A recent U.S.-European Union accord put rum makers in Mexico, Brazil and India on a par with Caribbean producers who enjoyed duty-free access.

8.   Another issue is the embattled banana regime and a U.S. challenge to the preferential access that Caribbean producers get to lucrative European markets.

9.   Bananas have been a controversial issue because Caribbean producers find themselves in conflict with Latin American growers over access to the European market.

10.   Caribbean producers generally have higher costs and can produce less fruit than U.S.-owned companies operating in Central and South America.