New U.S. Ambassador talks to press
She’s been in the country just about a week, but with a background in print and broadcast journalism, not to mention her most recent job as a presidential speechwriter, U.S. Ambassador Carolyn Curiel is nothing if not a fast learner. Today she sat down for a get acquainted chat with Channel Five’s Stewart Krohn. After opening pleasantries it wasn’t long before the talk turned to the ever present problem of drugs.
Carolyn Curiel, U.S. Ambassador to Belize
“Drugs are a scourge on both our societies in different ways. It is disproportionately a scourge for Belize because it is a smaller country in terms of its population and its resources. The good people of Belize deserve better and any way that we can help we want to help. And I think the judicial process being able to do its job better would be a help in this process.”
Stewart Krohn, Reporting
“What would you place at the top of the agenda for Belize-U.S. relations?”
Carolyn Curiel
“I think more than anything, communication. Good communication is the best thing that two neighbors can have. We want very much to have this as a partnership, a good working partnership with the people of Belize because if we can communicate we can get further on any topic. I have told some of your good Minister’s this that we have so much more in common than we have in way of differences and what we have in way of differences, if we have good communication, we will be able to work out.”
Stewart Krohn
“Madame Ambassador the aid component or assistance that the United States has provided to Belize over the years seems to be on a downward track. Do you have any plans to perhaps reverse that direction?”
Carolyn Curiel
“As the people of Belize know resources are limited all the way round. They have been cut not only for the people of Belize but around the world. But I would not say that it has been on a downward spiral, I would say that it is taking a different path. As you know we have drawn on the resources that our military has and we have been able to continue with such things as road building, building schools, helping with medical units etcetera and this has also been something that has stimulated economies locally. Wherever they have gone with these projects the economy has benefited greatly all items are purchased locally. I think this isn’t all that we can do and we want to explore ways that we can do more. One of the things I want us to explore is how do we get back on track with scholarships. I’m very concern that we address the needs of young people in Belize.”
“We just in fact had a meeting today to start putting proposals on the table for what we can do so I hope soon we will be able to announce some new initiatives and visit more areas of Belize where the help is needed and help out where we can.”
Stewart Krohn
“As an insider at the White House you must look at the current crisis now taking place in Washington and be obviously interested. Do you get the feeling that you prefer to be back there in the middle of the fray or are you quite content to watch things unfold from a distance?”
Carolyn Curiel
“I’ll tell you Stewart I don’t think any American who is fair satisfied watching this sort of thing happen. My job here does not include being concerned with those things and it is unfortunate that the staff at the White House, the President included obviously, must be distracted on what seems to be a regular basis. there is so much to do not only in the way of diplomacy but the domestic agenda at home that I hope it does not detract. I really do. It seems to be the hot news right now but I must tell you that during four years at the White House there seemed to be a new hot item, it seemed, at regular interval. I hope that this will pass in a way that no parties are injured. I hope that we can get on with the work of the nation and of the American people and I intend not to be distracted from what I need to do here in Belize.”
Curiel expects to stay in her post until the end of Bill Clinton’s presidency, which she hopes will be a little less than three years from now.
