6 years later… stolen car treaty ratified

It was signed almost six years ago by Dean Barrow when he was Minister of Foreign Affairs in the last government… and today a treaty for the return of stolen vehicles between the U.S.A. and Belize was finally brought into effect. The ceremony took place this morning in Belmopan between Foreign Minister Assad Shoman and U.S. Ambassador Russell Freeman. Although the treaty was signed on October third, 1996, it was not ratified by Belize’s Senate until last month. Heavy pressure from U.S. insurance companies came down during the early 90’s when dozens, if not hundreds of stolen late model SUV’s were flooding the Belize market across the U.S. and Mexican borders. The campaign reached a peak in June of 1994 when the U.S. television show “Dateline NBC” broadcast an embarrassing expose of the stolen car racket that made Belize look like a haven for vehicle piracy. Customs procedures were soon tightened up, even without a ratified treaty, and today the vast majority of Belize’s stolen vehicles come from Guatemala instead of the States. At this morning’s ceremony Shoman pointed out that having resolved the automobile issue, he would now like to see a treaty that would allow Belize to recover stolen archaeological artefacts that are regularly smuggled into the U.S.A.