Havana, 18/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - Speaking to the press, Cuban Secretary of State, Ricardo Cabrisas welcomed the "important step" that the country's membership of the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific group is felt to be for its relations with the countries of Africa and the Pacific. The ACP Council of Ministers admitted Cuba as 78th member of the ACP group, and as first member that is not signatory to the cooperation agreement with the European Union (see EUROPE of 15 December, p.4). To do so, an amendment to the Georgetown Agreement that set up the ACP group in 1975 was necessary. This decision "is no surprise" commented the Cuban Secretary of State, recalling that the countries of the Caribbean have been working on this proposal for a long time. Relations with Caribbean countries remain Cuba's priority, but participation in the ACP Group will enable it to develop cooperation with southern nations, which is a key element for Cuban foreign policy, Ricardo Cabrisas pointed out.