“Clarification” agreement signed with Carnival

It has been a major source of friction within the tourism industry, not to mention the Cabinet. But tonight the controversy over the Carnival Cruise Port contract may be over. Speaking to News 5 late this evening from Belmopan, Minister of Tourism Mark Espat reports that a “clarification agreement” was signed this afternoon with Carnival and related parties that satisfactorily addresses the major points of contention in the original contract signed earlier this year. Those points, according to Espat, include the recognition of the laws of Belize as supreme, recognition of the Belize Tourism Board as the management body of tourism in Belize, employment guarantees for Belizeans on the project, licensing of ships using the facility and imposition of an increase in the cruise head tax to seven dollars on January first. “It is a version we are comfortable with”, said Espat, who told News 5 that the text of the legally binding document would be released on Monday. Putting their signature to the agreement were the original parties, namely Prime Minster Said Musa, Carnival’s Giora Israel and his local partner Luke Espat, along with BTB Chairman Therese Rath. Rath’s participation presumably recognizes the Tourism Board as a full partner in the process. It is now expected that the fifty million US dollar project for a mainland cruise terminal and related facilities in Belize city will proceed with due speed. Where that leaves the BTIA’s recent court action for judicial review is unclear, as without the text of the new agreement it is impossible to see if the allegedly unconstitutional provisions have been modified.