Zambia will not open up any of its sectors to the EU countries until the development agenda of the economic partnership agreement (EPA) is addressed, The Post reported Monday.

The local newspaper quoted Permanent Secretary of Commerce Ministry Davidson Chilipamushi as saying that least developed countries (LDCs) do not have the capacity to enter into meaningful negotiation with the European Union (EU).

Chilipamushi told a workshop held here recently that "LDCs cannot even increase volumes of export products because they do not have the capacity to do and we cannot compare ourselves with the EU countries.

"Development should be a centerpiece of our negotiations, failure to which, us the Africa, Caribbean Pacific (ACP) countries will not agree with our colleagues in the EU. The ACP expects EPA to first complement their respective regional integration program," he said.

Phase two of the EPA negotiation is in full swing, scheduled to end on Dec. 31 this year, but countries in eastern and southern Africa including Zambia have expressed concern that many issues have not been tackled for the agreements scheduled to be effected by 2008.

Once EPA is implemented, African countries and EU are expected to open up their market, a situation that will see goods from both sides being traded without restrictions.

Source: Xinhua