Prime Minister Owen Arthur AFP PHOTO

Mr. Arthur says while Barbados and other affected countries have accepted the change as inevitable, they cannot accept the inadequate dialogue which has come along with it. He says the EU is being callous in the way it's handling the transition.

"In the case of Barbados, we had already started to develop new activities as we diversify around our sugar industry as suggested by the (European) Commission. But our exchanges to date with European Union officials have left us no doubt that the prescription it would ideally wish to impose on us is the total abandonment of sugar cane agriculture," he said.

"For reasons such as this, the Caribbean can be forgiven if it holds strongly to the belief, that there is unfortunately little sign of genuine dialogue towards the most viable and mutually acceptable transition requirements."

Also speaking at the opening of the forum, the UK Minister for the Caribbean Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord David Triesman says Barbados and its regional neighbours have to get on with the job of regional integration despite the difficulties they face.

"What is at stake is the political will to conclude that programme," he said. "Close regional integration poses challenges just as they have for us in the United Kingdom as we have moved into the heart of Europe, but we all need to overcome those barriers."

British Foreign Minister, Jack Straw is expected to arrive in Barbados today to co-host the three-day forum.