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NADI, Fiji, July 16 (AFP) - Under the slogan "solidarity in a globalised world," 78 of the world's poorest nations were Tuesday gathering for a summit here.

The summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group brings together a diverse set of countries -- from Niue with fewer than 2,000 people living on a single Pacific island to Nigeria's 127 million.

It is linked to the European Union (EU), whose members are mostly the old colonial masters.

Fiji, which only learnt in February that it was hosting such a large summit, has had to deal with the hassles of organization. Two of the big names expected to attend, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Cuba's Fidel Castro are late no shows.

The country was to have hosted a key summit in June 2000, but by then gunmen led by George Speight had seized parliament and were holding the government of Mahendra Chaudhry hostage.

Chaudhry was never able to return to office and in subsequent elections Laisenia Qarase won power and is now prime minister.

The aborted 2000 summit instead went to Benin and ACP's document honours its capital, the Cotonou Agreement, much to the chagrin of Fiji diplomats who wanted a "Suva Agreement" on the world stage.

Organisers were Tuesday struggling to come up with a list of delegates attending after a local internet company lost most of the accreditation details.

Aviation workers threatening strikes through the summit period have, however, backed off, although Qarase took a swipe at them for the way he said they used foreign unions to "strong arm and bully their way" through Fiji.

While Cotonou requires ACP members to include civil society groups in governance, Qarase, as the summit chairman, does not want that going too far with authorities banning any marches or demonstrations.

"These are alien acts to us," he said.

The major item on the agenda is a progress report on a new trading agreement the ACP has to reach with the EU by 2008.

ACP members, particularly the smaller Pacific countries, have voiced worries that their struggling economies will get lost in globalisation.

"Globalisation is not a single phenomenon. It has become a catch-all concept to describe a range of trends and forces changing the face of the world in which we live. We believe that behind every challenge lies an opportunity," Qarase said.

ACP secretary general Jean-Robert Goulongana said negotiations on the trade deal will begin in September in Brussels.

The preferential tariffs which ACP countries have enjoyed in the EU are destined to be removed, a major problem for the poorer nations.

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