Finance Minister Paula Cox is in the Caribbean this week meeting with Commonwealth peers on a range of common financial and jurisdictional issues.

A Government Press statement yesterday said that Ms Cox was in St. Kitts and Nevis until Friday to meet with other Commonwealth finance ministers. The trip follows Ms Cox's recent return to the Island after a trip earlier this month to Geneva to get preliminary information on the Island joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

On her Caribbean trip, Ms Cox is to discuss the following issues: the current world economic situation and prospects; a review of the IMF/World Bank issues; small state issues; progress in the implementation of recommendations of the Commonwealth Secretariat/World Bank Task Force Report 'Small States: Meeting the Challenges in the Global Economy'; Commonwealth Development Cooperation and the capacity of international financial institutions to support trade liberalisation in low income and vulnerable countries.

Ms Cox returns to Bermuda on Friday. She is being accompanied on this trip by Financial Secretary Donald Scott.