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Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Since I became Foreign Minister, I have been insisting that we get a visit from the Foreign Minister of El Salvador, so that he could come and see the hospitality that we've extended to the Salvadorans and the condition in which they are living. And, I also had at the back of my mind the hope that once he came and saw what was on the ground, he would be influenced to cause more funds to be directed toward the Salvadoran Community, in particular, so that they can become more productive, more skilled, more educated, and more informed because by so becoming, they would in fact enhance our country even more. We can tell you the news has been good; We've arrived at agreements in principle which should see resources, more assistance, coming from El Salvador to Salvadorans in the Belizean Diaspora, those living here in Belize, by extension for the Belizean Community - the wider Belizean Community."

H. E. Hugo Martinez-Bonilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs El Salvador
"This is an opportuned time to relaunch and strengthen our relationship, not only our official bilateral relationship that is important to cultivate, but our relationship with Salvadoran Community. A community that has lived in Belize, and had been received with open arms during those difficult moments in our history. A large part of the Salvadoran Community here has had to leave because of the civil war that took place in our country. we are extremely grateful to the people and Government of Belize who have welcomed our citizens, and allowed them to integrate with into the different productive sectors of your country."

The communiqu� outlined ways in which the two countries can enhance trade and investment, whilst negotiating a Partial Scope Agreement that will take into consideration the difference in size between the economies of Belize and El Salvador. The ministers also discussed important regional and international issues. Bonilla also met with the Prime Minister. Bonilla concludes his visit tomorrow.




Calling all Heroes

For almost a decade now, First Caribbean Bank has been celebrating the unselfish efforts of those in the community they call unsung heroes. The social program is in its ninth year and once again the Bank is inviting nominations from the public for that special hero who you believe has quietly and without fanfare bettered the life of others. Local coordinator of the programme, Rosanna Villanueva told Seven News, if we all look around us, it shouldn't be too hard to find one.

Rosanna Villanueva, First Caribbean Bank
"The First Caribbean's Unsung Heroes Program was piloted in 2003, and it is reaching wide, meaning that it runs in all the territories in which First Caribbean operates. It is really our flagship corporate social responsibility program, and the ultimate aim is to recognize persons who are going above and beyond what they need to be doing. They're trying to make life better for the persons around them, and also to encourage people to look around them, and to celebrate volunteerism and goodwill, and to recognize these people for what they're doing."

Jim McFadzean
"What's the profile of an Unsung Hero?"

Rosanna Villanueva
"Well from experience, Unsung Heroes come from all walks of life. We have few criteria that we look for, meaning that they should be a Caribbean person. We ask that they have either low or no media profile, meaning that they're not well known outside their communities. They haven't yet been recognized for what they're doing. They should have a cause that will benefit from the exposure of the program, and of course, we ask them to take part in our public relations program. But other than that, an Unsung Hero can be anyone. We've had past winners in education; we've had nurses, doctors, teachers from all walks of life. And it's just really a person who is going above and beyond the ordinary and making life better for those around them."

The program which has been running since 2003 provides the winner with a grant of Six Thousand U.S. dollars. Nomination forms can be picked up at any of the First Caribbean Bank branches or you can find a link to the bank's website at 7newsbelize.com. The deadline for nominations is June 30th.




Information and Communication Tech Training



The Ministry of Public Service sponsored a very important workshop today which was held at the conference room of the Chamber of Commerce.

The diverse group of participants came from the public and private sectors. They shared in discussions aimed at making recommendations towards the formulation of a National Information and Communication Technology Strategy. Adam Montcerin, an ICT Consultant told participants that, more than a document, the ultimate goal is to create a movement towards the adoption of ICT that will improve the every day lives of the average citizen.

Adam Montcerin, ICT Consultant
"It's our reality that we cannot deny. ICT today, across the globe, is used and applied every aspect of human life. Whether it is poverty irradication, whether it is wealth creation, business competitiveness, education, social justice, crime prevention, when we look beneath the surface of all of these areas, we use, application and leveraging of ICT's. So what we're talking about when we speak of an ICT strategy, really is about a developmental strategy towards improving areas such as education, social justice, developing culture, boosting and making more competitive our trade and industry, enable our agricultural programs to be productive - to be profitable- developing our tourism sector to be more competitive and attractive to the market we're trying to reach across the world. And so at the end of the day, for many countries who have been successful, the strategy has, first of all, elevated the priority of ICT for development on the national agenda. So that's the first objective of developing an ICT strategy. It must be put at the top of the priority for Belize in terms of national developement."




A Ministry On the Move



The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment today held the opening of their new offices in Belmopan. The new building is located on Zetina Street- and the Ministry says it is more spacious and comfortable for its customers.

Beverly Castillo, CEO Natural Resources
"The road to 'cohoon walk' as some of us call it was anything but smoothe our easy. There were many challenges and obstacles that had to be overcomed to make this day a reality. First, we had to secure the necessary financing to retro-fit the building and transform it into the modern office complex that you see before you. Often times, we had to be creative in finding money to ensure that all the necessary equipment, materials and human resources were provided in a timely and efficient manner. Second, the moving the entire Lands Department and the various units, proved logistically difficult and at times even impossible. We wanted to see a marked improvement in access and service delivery to the Belizean Public. For my 35 years of working in the Public Service, I am aware that service delivery is paramount to the success of any institution, particularly, like the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, that serves such a broad cross-section of the public on a daily basis. Therefore, we had to systematically plan to ensure that the layout would be user friendly so as to better serve you. I am confident that we did just that."

The offices of the Department of the Environment, Geology and Petroleum Department as well as the Solid Waste management Authority have also been relocated to the new building of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.




Man Accused Of Pulling Gun On Soldier



A man was taken to court yesterday for allegedly pulling a gun on a BDF soldier. Twenty nine year old John Brown, a fisherman form Neal Pen Road was charged with aggravated assault, kept firearm without a gun license and kept ammunition without a gun license. He pleaded not guilty.

He was remanded into custody until June 9th. The incident occurred around 10 p.m on Sunday April 3. The police reported that they were on mobile patrol with some BDF soldiers on Allenby Street when they saw Brown and another man riding on bicycles. The police said they drove to the side of the men and ordered them to stop. According to the police, Brown pointed a firearm at private Mejia then threw it in a drain.

The police reported that when they retrieved the firearm it was a 38 revolver with 6 rounds of ammunition. The second man, Devon Flores Jr., was searched but nothing incriminating was found so he was released. Brown claims the police took him to a check point at mile 4 on the Western Highway and they beat him.