Belize Hosts SICA Meeting…Discusses Way Forward…

Carmen Vergara

The Central American Integrated Economic System, SIECA, as we mentioned is the economic arm of SICA and by joining the offshoot Belize can benefit in a number of ways, particularly where it concerns regional trade.  SIECA’s Secretary General Carmen Vergara outlined a few of the advantages for Belize’s membership of the subdivision.

Carmen Vergara, Secretary General, SIECA

“Well we have been trying to get Belize to become a full member of SIECA for a while now and it’s also an interest expressed by Belize to actually know the particulars about becoming a member of SIECA.  So in order to evacuate any doubts that either party could have we’re going to have a study done in this semester that will evacuate those doubts and we hope it will serve as a road map for Belize to incorporate fully to the economic integration system.”

Isani Cayetano

“What are some of the benefits or the advantages that Belize would enjoy being a member of SIECA?”

Carmen Vergara

“Well this is part of what the study is going to allow us to pinpoint specifically.  But mainly I would say that most of the trade and the products that Belize utilizes comes from Central America, specifically from Guatemala or also from Mexico.  So it would make economic sense to have an alliance so that those products and services could be and could come into Belize with zero tax for instance.”

Belize’s pro tempore presidency of SICA is for a period of six months.