7 News Belize

Sugar Standoff Continues, ASR Execs Meet With PM, No Breakthrough Announced
posted (December 11, 2014)
Today American Sugar Refinery, known as ASR, executives flew into the country to meet with Prime Minister Dean Barrow at his Belize City office on Coney Drive. They were there to discuss the latest proposals for compromise put forward by the Cane Farmers Association. The meeting started at 2:30 and lasted about an hour and half - which is when senior ASR executives Mac McLachlan and Celestino Ruiz left without comment to the press - and looking none too pleased. The Prime Minister and Deputy Gaspar Vega stayed back and left another twenty minutes later - also without comment.

And all sides may be guarded in their comments because there was no breakthrough - from what we are told. But there is hope, as tomorrow the Prime Minister is bringing both the cane farmers and ASR/BSI to the table in a joint meeting - also in Belize City.

The developing situation is being very closely monitored by security forces because last weekend, the cane farmers indicated that they had made their final offer - and if ASR/BSI didn't accept the compromise they proposed, they would be protesting - which, history tells us, is always a volatile proposition in the north.

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