Yesterday's SICA Summit of Heads of State and Government in Placencia ended with Belize handing over the pro tem Presidency to Guatemala. Prime Minister Dean Barrow who chaired the session was lavish in his praise of his Guatemalan counterpart:..
Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"I am honored to have served as your chairman for today's proceedings. Events such as these are about many things and one such is the strengthening of the inter-personal relations between officials, between ministers and between heads. President Otto Perez Molina has long since stamped himself as a thinker, a worker and a superb creative force. We can therefore look forward to a bold and muscular semester under the firm guidance of his "mano dura.""
Oddly, the joint communique signed by the heads has still not been released to the press. And neither has the body of the 13 bi-lateral agreements signed between Belize and Guatemala. We tried to get to see them today - but were unable to. Through an opposition release we do know that they cover Prisoner Exchange and the Serving of Penal Sentences, Operating Hours At border Points; Seasonal Workers; the Recovery And Return of Items of Cultural And Natural Patrimony, Visa Waiver for Students, Deportation, Electric Power Trade, Transmission Interconnection And Grid Connectivity; Mutual Recognition of Driver's Licenses; Movement of Students via land entry points; Protection Of the Environment; Degree Equivalence and Recognition of Education documents; Sustainable Tourism; and Stolen Vehicles.
Secretary General of the Organization of American States Jose Miguel Insulza was present at yesterday's summit - since the agreements were facilitated by the OAS as a confidence building measure. He said that with these agreements only one final step awaits both nations:
Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary General - Organization of American States
"There is however of course one remaining step to be taken which are the referenda required by respective parliaments of Belize and Guatemala. As you all were aware, this referenda were not held last year because the countries considered that the conditions are not right to hold them. A stronger, closer bi-lateral relationship and these agreements with a better knowledge and understanding exist now and therefore we can say the conditions have been created. All that is left is the establishment of mutual state to take the next step."
We are told the 13 agreements will be released tomorrow.
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