PM Briceño Condemns Shyne’s “Narco State” Declaration

The People’s United Party government has taken grave offense to the Opposition Leader declaring Belize a narco state.  In our last interview with Shyne Barrow, one week ago, he criticized the Briceño administration for the manner in which it is handling the threat of narco-related violence in northern Belize.  In his diatribe, Barrow went as far as describing the country as a narco state, raising the ire of many, including Prime Minister John Briceño and Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“It was reckless of the Leader of the Opposition and the people that are putting those ads, it was reckless on [their part] because they are not affecting the government, they are affecting Belize.  We are nowhere close to being a narco state and they know it, but they are trying to get some kind of political support.  What they are doing is that people are getting turned off by them with that kind of behavior, so I condemn that in the strongest way possible.”

 

Francis Fonseca, Foreign Minister

“I think that’s absolutely reckless.  It’s irresponsible, you know, it’s pathetic.  There are so many other adjectives I could use, but certainly, it’s absolutely disappointing and I think it reflects very poorly on him.  This is our country, [and] Belize is absolutely not a narco state.  We know what narco states look like.  If you have any idea about foreign policy and you have any understanding of national security issues, you would know what a narco state is.  We have seen those in Latin America and parts of Central America as well.  So Belize is not there and we absolutely are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that, as we keep saying, that no narco trafficking organization gains a foothold in this country.  So I condemn in the strongest possible terms the Leader of the Opposition.”