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Fair enough, but when we spoke to Briceno today - he supported the takeover in principle but like the chamber worried about the business climate. Here's what he had to say:….

Jules Vasquez
"Mr. Party Leader has the opposition form a position on the BEL takeover?"

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Well the Prime Minister said that there was a crisis and as a responsible government they had to find a way how to deal with the crisis. When you look at the press release from the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry I mean they are raising some major concerns about the way that the government has been dealing with these issues in a confrontational manner and the concerns about investments in this country. When you look at what has happen with the people with the bus issue - they had a problem and the government went in and try to strong arm it. When there was that issue on Chetumal Street - what did he do? he sends the police and BDF at 4 o' clock in the morning to break down the people's homes. They had a problem with football - they go and they take it over, you got a problem with BTL - you go and take it over and this certainly does not goes well for Belize as country both locally and abroad."

Jules Vasquez
"So you at the House - being that you supported philosophically. - would you have voted for a takeover of BEL in the House on Monday were you given the proper notice."

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Well again the issue is that what we need to ask ourselves Jules - did we have to get to where we were. We believe that we did not need to get where we are. A lot of this could have been avoided."

Jules Vasquez
"Now it could have been avoided if the government had agreed to sign into law a rate increase for BEL. Do you agree that the Prime Minister was right in refusing to do this?"

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Well you and I know that that is not completely true in the sense that earlier on and I don't want to be seen in fighting BEL's fight. That is BEL and FORTIS issue, we would never support an increase in electricity, and we want to make sure that it goes down but then we need to work with the company to ensure that that happens."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you concern that as we come at the same time to national election that a government which you may form depending on what happens in the election will face insurmountable debts."

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"We have every confidence that we are going to win the next election but certainly that is something of grave concern because when you look at what has happen with BTL and BEL - if you combine those two you are looking at a debt of almost 600 million depends on who you are talking to."

Jules Vasquez
"Obviously you are talking to Mr. Ashcroft."

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Not at all."

Jules Vasquez
"Because the governments value of BTL is 70 million - the compensation."

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Well you and I know better than that. The point is that whatever the figure it is - it is certainly in the hundreds of millions of dollars that the government will have to find an as the party that expects to get into government in the next election of course we are concern but we believe that we will be able to find a way how we are going to solve some of these issues."

And while the PUP is confident it would be able to find a future solution, the Prime Minister is looking for one right now. He departed today for Guatemala City, where, tomorrow, he will participate in the International Conference to pledge Support for the Central America Security Strategy. But his real mission on Guatemala City is a face to face meeting with the President Of Mexico Felipe Calderon where the Prime Minister will ask for an adjustment of the terms with CFE, perhaps expanding Belize's credit with the state owned power company from the ten million dollars which BEL is very close to defaulting on.