1.   Concern was expressed about the possible impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement in reducing preferential arrangements for US imports from central America.

2.   Colony-colonizer links between countries, preferential trading arrangements, common currency and political union can increase trade.

3.   Delegates from the seven member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation met Sunday to discuss plans for a preferential trading arrangement.

4.   The two countries expressed the hope that a SAARC preferential trading arrangement would come into operation soon.

5.   The government has also introduced a plan to help small business, part of which involved special preferential arrangements for small companies seeking to raise small amounts of money.