Top UK officials to stop over

A senior official from the U.K. will be in Belize later this week. He is Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald, who arrives on Friday as part of a tour of Central American countries including Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Sir Simon’s schedule includes a courtesy call on the Governor General, Sir Colville Young, meetings with the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Leader of the Opposition, the Organization of American States, BATSUB and a number of C.E.O.’s. He will also visit the Chiquibul National Park for a first-hand look at some U.K. funded projects that have been carried out by Friends for Conservation and Development. The U.K. Under Secretary will also visit the Caracol Mayan Site and will participate in a scientific survey and outreach beach cleanup known as the Commonwealth Litter Programme. Sir Simon leaves on September first.