After announcements that the government of Antigua and Barbuda will continue to pursue its ten-year-old World Trade Organisation case against the US related to online gambling, the two sides decided to reopen negotiations this week.
Therefore, the negotiating table saw exchanges between officials from the US Embassy in Barbados, staff members from the United States Congress, other US government officials and the Antigua government team led by Colin Murdock, who stated after the talks:
“The government of Antigua and Barbuda is doing everything in our power to get a reasonable settlement from the United States.
“We have negotiated with the US in good faith as we have done for the last decade. We have prevailed in our case at the WTO on numerous occasions, and we are prepared to pursue the remedies provided under international trade law.”
A ruling in the case by the World Trade Organization entitles the Antiguan government to $21 million in damages annually over America’s decision to crack down on the online gaming sector.
Not only has the US has failed to honor the ruling until now, but it has recently issued a warning to Antiguans not to pursue retaliatory action against America.
