It’s official…without the benefit of a national referendum the Guatemalan government has said no to the proposals aimed at ending Guatemala’s long-standing territorial claim to Belize. Today News 5 obtained a copy of the communiqué sent to O.A.S. Secretary General Cesar Gaviria on August twenty-fifth from President Alfonso Portillo’s government. The communiqué reads in part: […]
If you haven’t seen Prime Minister Said Musa on this newscast for a few days it’s because he’s leading a top-level delegation to Taiwan. Musa, in his role as President of the Central American Integration System, SICA, is leading the group of regional heads of government in their fourth summit with the Republic of China. […]
The Government of Belize is on the defensive tonight after reports in the Guatemalan press have accused B.D.F soldiers of making an incursion into Guatemalan territory last Friday. A Government release denies that any such incursion was made. They claim that the Belize Defence Force patrol in question was en route to a scheduled link-up […]
And while Robinson is saying goodbye to his friends and colleagues in the diplomatic corps, he today told News 5 that his retirement wish is for continued cordial relations between Belize and Canada. John Robinson, Canadian High Commissioner to Belize “There is some trade relations with Canada. I’d like to see them increase more. And […]
It came as an ominous ultimatum: give us a get out of court card or we’ll take away your military aid. But today, the Attorney General of Belize, Godfrey Smith, says the position of the United States Government on the issue of the International Criminal Court may not be the hard line it first came […]
And in an update to the stolen car scandal, today officials from the United States Embassy in Belize informed us that further investigations by their experts have confirmed that all five luxury vehicles now in the Customs compound are indeed hot. According to Public Relations Officer for the U.S. Embassy, Edgar Embrey, the 2003 SUVs […]
Two down…three to go. That’s the word from the U.S. Embassy tonight as agents brought down on special assignment are completing their investigation of six vehicles seized by customs on suspicion of being stolen. Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy, Edgar Embrey, told News 5 that an expert investigator has thus far been able to […]
The Belize Government is under some serious pressure tonight from a familiar place over some familiar faces. According to Public Relations Officer for the United States Embassy in Belize, Edgar Embry, this morning a letter was sent to Comptroller of Customs Everard Lopez specifically identifying three luxury S.U.V.s that the U.S. government believes are stolen. […]
Today in San Pedro Prime Minister Said Musa and what seemed like half the Cabinet met with a delegation led by Governor Joaquin Hendricks of Quintana Roo. The occasion was the first bilateral roundtable between Belize and the neighbouring Mexican state. According to the Prime Minister, there are a number of areas where cooperation is […]
With the SARS situation now clarified, we can report on the original reason for today’s press conference: an agreement with the United States under which Belize will upgrade the technology of its passports. U.S. Ambassador Russell Freeman gave details. Russell Freeman, U.S. Ambassador to Belize “Through this agreement the United States Government is providing nine […]
On Friday, newly appointed Minister of Finance, Ralph Fonseca, joined his Central American colleagues in Washington, D.C., where they met with U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. According to a Belize Government release, the meeting focussed on strategies for growth. In his address to the gathering, Fonseca appealed for understanding […]
In news from Belmopan, a report from the confines of the Cabinet is that Belize has taken up the rotating presidency of the Central American Integration System, known as SICA. According to the release, an inter-ministerial commission has been appointed to ensure that Belize capitalizes on the appointment. That commission will be chaired by Ambassador […]
Born out of a diplomatic visit by Prime Minister Said Musa to South Korea, today relations with that Asian country have spawned several benefits for Belizeans. The main one has been support for the Youth for the Future initiative, a brainchild of the P.M.. To date, South Korea has provided funding and made donations in […]
With the war in Iraq unfolding on our TV screens, Belize and Belizeans can do little more than hope for the best and prepare for the worst. In the international diplomatic manoeuvring prior to the U.S. invasion, we managed to keep a low profile as the drama played out in the U.N. Security Council, a […]
If we weren’t sure before, we now have official confirmation that all is back to normal on the Belizean media scene. That’s because for the first time in several months we can report the donation of money by the Government of Taiwan to the Government of Belize. This afternoon a cheque for four hundred and […]
Both CARICOM and the O.A.S. have pledged support for the continuing process toward a settlement of the Guatemalan claim… but somewhere along the line, we in the news media, have neglected to explain exactly what that process entails. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided us with a text of the agreement signed February seventh […]
We don’t usually deal with international news on this broadcast, but sometimes it’s hard not to. In case viewers haven’t noticed, there is a war about to begin and one way or another, Belize will be affected. Much of the diplomatic drama has been playing out in the halls of the United Nations…and today News […]
Police officials in Jamaica remain tight-lipped tonight, but some details are emerging in the continuing saga of ten Iraqi citizens detained in Montego Bay en route to Belize. A press release from Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration states that an investigation, in cooperation with the Government of Jamaica, has shown that the Belize […]
He could have confronted the matter head on six months ago when the immigration scandal first came to light, but instead, the P.M. chose to administer a mere wrist slap to Minister Max Samuels, taking away his police and immigration portfolios, but keeping him in Cabinet as Minister of Transport and Communications. At the time […]
In news just in, the Associated Press is tonight reporting that ten Iraqi citizens have been detained in Montego Bay, Jamaica and are being interviewed by the U.S. F.B.I.. Their destination? Belize. Let me read the bulletin as we received it just minutes ago: “F.B.I. agents on Tuesday were questioning ten Iraqi men who were […]
In different circumstances it’s a story that would have been headline news. But with the nation in the middle of a rough and tumble election campaign, and hopes for a quick settlement of the Guatemalan claim only a distant memory, bulletins from the Foreign Ministry no longer receive top billing. Perhaps, however, they should…as today […]
This morning, representatives of the governments of Belize and Spain met in Belize City to finalize plans to enhance relations between the two countries. As part of the discussions, the delegations hosted a working luncheon with members of the Belizean press corps to highlight the initiative. According to Moises Cal, Director of International Cooperation in […]
The Belize-Guatemala talks…a topic we have not discussed in detail for quite some time. But the latest from Belmopan is that a ministerial meeting has been rescheduled for early February and will be preceded late this month by technical talks. According to a government release issued late this evening, on Friday, February seventh, Belizean Foreign […]
The new Foreign Minister of Guatemala has made his first official remarks on the issue of Belize. Speaking on Monday upon taking up office, Edgar Gutierrez referred to a number of challenges facing the last year of the Portillo administration. While Belize was not at the top of the list, his remarks appear to be […]
In early January, Belize’s Foreign Minister, Assad Shoman, is scheduled to meet in Washington with his Guatemalan counterpart to chart a way forward for an eventual settlement of the Guatemalan claim. But when the two officials sit down at the O.A.S., the man on the other side of the table will not be a familiar […]
