Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow returned to the country on Tuesday April 21 after attending the Summit of the Americas between the 17th and 19th of April.
In speaking at his quarterly press briefing, the Prime Minister on Wednesday April 22 highlighted the gains for Belize at the Summit. He explains that the country received great coverage representing psychological and public relations gains. He adds that as the chairman of Caricom Belize occupied places of honour and the profile of the country was raised both regionally and in the world.
As for the Summit itself, the Prime Minister notes that there were other significant gains for the region and Belize. He points to a concerted lobby by the region which now has Canada committing five billion dollars to be put into the Inter American Development Bank. With this Prime Minister Barrow says “Belize should be able to share in this additional capitalization of the IDB and be able to access more concessionary financing.”
Additionally in speaking with the president of the IDB, Barrow says that the president will be allocating some 15 million U.S. dollars in financing for the country. As for the additional capitalization, the P.M. says that it is significant to countries that don’t have the surpluses that developed countries have but who still need to try to operate fiscal stimulus programs and to access funding at concessionary rates to do so.
There is also good news in the agriculture sector as the president of the Central American Bank of Economic Integration confirmed funding for an agricultural expansion program in Belize. Bilateral meetings held with Canada also secured more scholarships for the Caribbean region and Belize.
As for U.S. – Belize relations, Prime Minister Barrow points to Obama’s pledge to increase the U.S.’ aid in the fight against drugs and small arms. In addition, the U.S. has committed more funding to multilateral agencies like the World Bank, the IDB and the IMF.
In relation to recent proposed legislation in the U.S. regarding off shore financial services provided by the region, the Prime Minister says that the U.S. congressional delegation “showed sympathy to the offshore financial services sector” but that there was no commitment that the legislation would not be passed in its present form.
On a more personal note, Prime Minister Barrow says that the U.S. president was “extremely friendly” “This is someone who is serious in terms of hemispheric relations. He appeared genuinely interested in Belize. He didn’t know about Belize and when he said that he would like to visit and that he is recording an intention to visit, I took him seriously.” Added to that, Obama explained to Belize’s Prime Minister that within the next month or six weeks an ambassador who is an ‘old college buddy’ of the President will be nominated as the new ambassador of the U.S. to Belize. He continued explaining that the president made the point that once the new ambassador is in place it will make it easier for the logistics for his visit to Belize to be finalized. The Prime Minister concluded that President Obama was warm and had no airs or had no sense of standing as it relates to his authority and the might of the U.S. He says he took Obama’s talk with him as one where “conversation between and among equals” took place.
