Schedule heavy for visit of Mexican President

His last trip to Belize was way back in August of 2000, when he had just been elected president, but had not yet donned the sash of office. Come tomorrow, however, Vicente Fox will arrive on Belizean soil as President of Mexico. And while his first and likely only official visit to this country will be short, it will be packed with official events.

Fox’s itinerary includes a morning arrival at the P.G.I.A., a helicopter trip to Belmopan, and a half dozen or so official meetings in the nation’s capital, including an address to a joint session of the National Assembly.

In the evening, the President returns to Belize City where he will meet with former Prime Minister George Price as well as Leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow before being hosted at state dinner at the House of Culture. At that event Fox will be presented with the Order of Belize, while the President will reciprocate by conferring the Order of the Mexican Eagle on Prime Minister Said Musa.

Fox will depart Wednesday morning for a summit meeting in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and it is believed that Belize’s Prime Minister will hitch a ride.

As for the business to be conducted during the President’s visit to Belize, it is expected to cover agreements on the new bridge over the Rio Hondo, border security issues, management of emergencies, and bilateral investment.

On that latter subject the Associated Press is today quoting a Mexican Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that PEMEX will open its first gas station in Belize within the next two months. The single location will be the Mexican oil giant’s first retail venture outside its own territory and is said to be a franchise operation owned jointly by Mexican and Belizean private interests.