LEADERS of the 71-member African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) grouping meet this week with crucial negotiations involving the European Union uppermost, yet not exclusively, on their minds. The summit, to be held in the Dominican Republic capital of Santo Domingo, is being viewed as a critical juncture in the negotiation of a successor agreement to the Lome IV Convention and an important precursor to World Trade Organisation talks on new global trading arrangements. The existing Lome Agreement expires at the end of February next year and important WTO negotiations continue in the United States next week.