Regional/International - Channel 5 Belize

CARICOM Leaders Address Key Issues at 47th Regular Meeting in Grenada

Grenada is hosting the 47th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The summit has the participation of regional leaders, addressing pressing issues affecting the bloc.

Outgoing CARICOM Chairman and Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfan Ali, used his address to highlight the media’s failure to report on regional successes, especially regarding the situation in Haiti. “We left our normal duties and sometimes spent six, seven hours in the night working for the people we love, the people of Haiti, to ensure a return to democracy,” Dr. Ali said. He expressed frustration at the negative portrayal of their efforts by various media outlets. “Today, we have a presidential council and a prime minister in Haiti, and we remain committed to ensuring Haiti’s return to full normalcy, democracy, and governance.”

A significant highlight of the ceremony was the admission of Curacao as the sixth associate member of CARICOM. Prime Minister Gilmar Simon Pissers of Curacao assured that this membership would not affect their relationship with the Netherlands. “Our membership and commitments within the Kingdom of the Netherlands will not compromise our regional integration objectives,” he stated.

During the ceremony, former CARICOM Secretary-General Roderick Rainford and former West Indies cricket captain Sir Clive Lloyd were honoured with the region’s highest award, the Order of the Caribbean Community. In his acceptance speech, Lloyd urged the region to prioritise health issues, specifically prostate cancer. “It’s important for men to get tested. You don’t need to die; there are treatments available,” he emphasised.

Although not all leaders were present at the ceremonial opening, they are expected to participate in the formal deliberations starting Monday. The summit, originally scheduled for July 3-5, was postponed due to the impact of Hurricane Beryl. Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell of Grenada thanked the region for its support in the hurricane’s aftermath and announced that he would champion an ambitious digital transformation agenda as CARICOM’s lead on ICT.

“We have an opportunity in the Caribbean to ensure we are not left behind in this technological revolution. We owe it to the next generation to provide them with the tools and education to apply their skills globally while living in the Caribbean,” Mitchell stated.

The CARICOM leaders will also review progress towards achieving a 25 percent reduction in food imports by 2025, among other key issues. As the summit continues, the focus will be on ensuring sustainable development and regional integration for the benefit of all Caribbean citizens.

Venezuela’s Maduro and Opposition Both Declare Presidential Victory

Venezuela faces international scrutiny as both President Nicolas Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez have declared victory in Venezuela’s presidential election. This has triggered global doubts about the validity of the official election results. The election was held on Sunday.

The National Electoral Authority, which is allegedly controlled by Maduro loyalists, announced shortly after midnight that Maduro secured a third term with 51% of the vote to 44% for González.

The delay in official results—six hours after polls closed—has fueled scepticism and led the opposition to reject Maduro’s presidential win.

According to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, independent exit polls suggest a landslide victory for Gonzalez, who reportedly received 70% of the vote. The Council was criticised for not releasing the tallies from each of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide, only promising to do so in the “coming hours,” hampering the ability to verify the results.

The election period was marked by tension and sporadic violence, including a fatal incident in Tachira state and confrontations at polling sites in Caracas, reported Reuters. Police intervened to disperse a protest in Catia, a stronghold of Maduro’s supporters. The election results held heavy implications for Venezuela’s future. Amid an ongoing economic crisis and mass emigration, opposition leaders and supporters hoped that a change in leadership could restore stability. The country, grappling with severe inflation and widespread shortages, has been yearning for economic and political reform.

International reaction has been swift. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and several Latin American leaders, including Chile’s Gabriel Boric and Guatemala’s Bernardo Arevalo, expressed concerns about the credibility of the results. Blinken stated, “We have serious concerns that the results announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.”

Blinken criticised the Venezuelan National Electoral Authority, questioning its independence and alleging it serves as an extension of Maduro’s government. Maduro’s previous re-election in 2018 has been widely denounced as fraudulent by the international community.

Caribbean Islands Devastated by Hurricane Beryl as CARICOM Summit Begins

St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique, along with Jamaica, bore the brunt of Hurricane Beryl’s fury, with Dominica, St. Lucia, and Barbados also feeling the storm’s impact. Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, who has assumed the chairmanship of the 15-member regional integration movement, outlined the extensive damage on the Grenadine islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

“Ninety percent of all buildings on these islands were destroyed,” Prime Minister Mitchell reported. “Homes, schools, commercial buildings, shops, the airport, port facilities, marinas, gas stations, the hospital, health centers, community centers—all severely damaged. The road infrastructure, the shoreline, the coastline, the economic sectors have been reduced to zero. Carriacou and Petit Martinique are primarily fishing and agricultural communities.”

“The boats, engines, and fishing equipment were all destroyed,” Mitchell continued. “Livestock were badly affected, with many animals dying. In summary, the agriculture sector, fishing sector, marine industry, businesses, and tourism were all badly devastated by Hurricane Beryl.”

Similarly, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines shared the experiences of his citizens on Canouan, Mayreau, and Union Island. In the archipelago of 32 islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, nine of which are inhabited, five of the southernmost islands suffered severe devastation.

“Canouan, Mayreau, Union Island, and the resort islands of Mustique and Palm Island were hit hard. Further north, the main Grenadine island of Bequia, while not as devastated as the southern islands, still saw extraordinary damage and loss,” Prime Minister Gonsalves stated. “The main island of St. Vincent also suffered significant damage and loss.”

Grenada is hosting the CARICOM summit, which coincides with its 50th anniversary of political independence from Britain. Prime Minister Mitchell emphasized the importance of showing the world that Grenada is open for business despite the impact of Hurricane Beryl. The ceremonial opening of the summit takes place on Sunday, with usual agenda items including agri-food security, the CARICOM single market and economy, as well as Haiti and regional transportation.

CARICOM Assistant Secretary General Elizabeth Solomon expressed optimism about the developments in Haiti. “This meeting will demonstrate how effective we have been, especially in the last year. The commitment made by CARICOM heads of government to support Haiti through a difficult period has led to significant progress. We now have a Haitian-led, Haitian-owned process with a transitional presidential council and prime minister in place, entirely due to the efforts of Caribbean heads of government.”

During the opening ceremony, the Order of the Caribbean Community will be conferred on former West Indies cricket captain Sir Clive Lloyd of Guyana and Jamaican-born former CARICOM Secretary General Roderick Rainford. The Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland, is the summit’s special guest.

U.S. Official Says Nicaragua Poses Most Challenge on Migration

On Thursday, we brought you an interview with the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Eric Jacobstein. The U.S. official met this week with the Belizean and Guatemalan ministers of government to discuss matters of regional and national concern. Regional migration is an issue that has posed major challenges for countries to combat, and while Belize and the other countries have their own shortcomings, Jacobstein told News Five that Nicaragua is the most problematic to deal with.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“Nicaragua is a major challenge for us. Nicaragua is a country – the Ortega/ Murrillo regime has – essentially continues to pray off vulnerable migrants. So that is a major concern. We’ve particularly been concerned by charter flights, charter airlines who are essentially allowing individuals to come in. They pay for visa, and then they continue their journey north. So in response, the Biden/Harris administration has taken major steps, including the State Department. We have a new policy in which we have revoked visas for executives of certain charter airlines who are clearly profiting off vulnerable migrants.”

U.S. Determined to Combat Regional Gangs

Another hot-button topic in the region is gangs. Belize already has a multitude of gangs across the country, and just over two months ago, Mexican cartel members staged an uprising in the southern Quintana Roo area, and reports were that it spilled into Belize’s Corozal Free Zone. It prompted Belizean law enforcement authorities to assign special teams in northern Belize to ensure Belizeans’ safety. At home, there’s also been the infiltration of M.S.-thirteen gang members in the Salvapan area of Belmopan. Jacobstein said that the key to preventing furtherance of gang activity is to engage the youths in alternative choices.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“Gang violence, cartel violence have caused generational trauma throughout the region. And it’s something that is a top focus for us whether it’s in Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras. So yes, we absolutely provide support to Belize and other countries in the region in this space. We will continue to do so because we feel that there’s two areas on enforcement that’s critical, and prevention is also very important in order to ensure that individuals don’t join gangs in the first place. So we provide assistance to deal with citizen security itself, but also prevention to work with youth to provide them viable alternatives to joining gangs. So this is at the top of our mind for us in Central America – a key part of our root causes strategy and we’ll continue to focus on it.”

Belize to Receive Over $100 Million in Assistance from U.S.

Belize is to receive over a hundred million dollars in assistance from the U.S. through our countries’ bilateral ties. On Thursday, the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Eric Jacobstein, told News Five that the assistance will come through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent U.S. government foreign aid agency, and the investments are for education reform and in the electricity sector.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. State Dept.

“Our bilateral relationship is stronger than ever right now. In particular, I want to highlight the fact that the Millennium Challenge Corporation is finalizing a compact for one hundred and twenty-five million dollars with Belize that will allow for education reform. It will also deal with the high costs in the electricity sector. So for us, this is huge, this is unprecedented in the type of foreign assistance arriving from the United States to Belize. And it speaks to the strong relationship that our countries have. And it’s something that is important, something that we continue to want to highlight in the conversations between our countries and saying that we believe will continue to be really the center of our relationship in the months ahead.”

U.S. Official Says Calm is Essential for Belize & Guatemala

We also asked Jacobstein to weigh in on the Belize-Guatemala dispute. The differendum is two centuries old, and all other attempts, including the Confidence-Building Measures in the early 2000’s amounted to naught in solving our dispute. The U.S. has maintained diplomatic ties with both our countries, and today, Jacobstein opined that it is important that Belize and Guatemala remain calm as we await a definitive I.C.J. ruling in the future.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“We appreciate the fact that there continues to be a commitment to abide by the ruling of the I.C.J. And so for us, while both countries await the ruling by the I.C.J., calm is just essential. It’s essential to ensure there are no tensions, ensure there continues to be dialogue between the countries. And we’re, hardened by the relationship between President Revelo, Prime Minister Briceño and encourage a continued strong relationship between the countries, a continued easing of any tensions.”

CARICOM’s Role in Addressing Haiti’s Challenges

Earlier we heard from the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Eric Jacobstein. While we engaged with him today on regional topics, we discussed the matter of Haitians who use Belize and Central America to get to the United States. He explained that there needs to be focus given to the challenges in that Caribbean country and that CARICOM and Belize play an important role in that process.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“That’s precisely why we believe we need to get at the root causes of the challenges in Haiti. And so we’re grateful for the Kenyan government’s leadership on the Haitian on the multinational security support mission and, grateful also for the government of Belize’s commitment in this space and really look forward to working together. We think CARICOM has a key role to play and Belize especially, and so this is one of the topics I discussed with Foreign Minister Fonseca yesterday and we continue to be grateful for the collaboration with the Belizean Government on Haiti.”

U.S Official: U.S is Concerned About Cuba’s Human Rights Issues

The call by other countries to lift the blockade on the Cuban Government also dates back a few decades. More recently, that call has gotten more pronounced, but while the U.S. has not lifted the ban, it has taken measures to be more accommodating in order to benefit Cubans. Today, Jacobstein summarized what the U.S. Government has done in the past couple years to help Cubans.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“President Biden’s approach to Cuba has been one to hold individuals accountable for human rights abuses while continuing to support the Cuban people. So in May of 2022, President Biden announced a series of measures to support the Cuban people, and that included, for example, allowing getting rid of caps on remittances; allowing remittances to be sent not only by family members but by others. It also allowed additional travel to cities beyond Havana from the United States. And most recently in May of this year, we implemented the final measure that was announced two years ago and that was a series of measures essentially to support the Cuban private sector. The Cuban private sector now accounts for about thirty percent of the economy. And these are individuals who are really struggling in a failed communist system to make ends meet. And these are individuals really entrepreneurial, and what we did was announce a series of measures including allowing United States banks to allow these Cuban independent entrepreneurs to open bank accounts. Obviously banks would have to make that decision on their own, but we continue to take steps to support the Cuban people. At the end of the day, our policy foremost is focused on human rights, and we continue to make that clear in every engagement with the Cuban government.”

Could Belize’s Strategic Partnership with Tren Maya Help Overcome Its Early Struggles?

Tren Maya Faces Early Struggles

Mexico’s Tren Maya project is facing significant criticism for its performance and impact. The railway’s current operation includes 34 stops across Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Campeche, and Chiapas, yet many popular routes are still under construction. However, according to Travel Noire, the high-profile tourism project is struggling to meet expectations just months after its December 25, 2023, launch.

With a projected cost that could exceed $30 billion, the train is only halfway complete, and its current offerings are not enticing travelers. Authorities initially forecasted daily ridership between 22,000 and 37,000, but according to Travel Noire, the train now sees just around 1,200 passengers per day. The incomplete sections, particularly the link between Cancun and resort areas, are contributing to the train’s low usage rates.

Environmental Impact of the Tren Maya

Adding to the controversy are environmental concerns. Critics argue that the environmental costs and disruption to indigenous Mayan habitats outweigh the benefits of the tourism project.

The railway “is splitting the jungle in half,” said Ismael Lara, a guide who takes tourists to a cave that shelters millions of bats near the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. Lara fears the train, due to pass close by, will disrupt wildlife routes and attract too much development to fragile ecosystems, according to Reuters.

“Not only has the train been built over cenotes, which could collapse at any time, it’s also displaced many Maya communities,” Paulina Rios, a Mexico City marine biologist, told the BBC.

An environmental impact study was conducted by the Mexican government. The study evaluated the risk of cave collapse when the tracks get engineered. A prevention programme would be implemented if necessary. “In terms of safety, part of the delays in the project is precisely because of these points … The project has been changed several times,” said another expert who participated in the government’s environmental impact study.

Tren Maya Coming to Belize

Tren Maya is expected to facilitate the easier movement of goods and tourists between Belize and Mexico. Mexico’s outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador held a significant meeting with Prime Minister John Briceño on March 25, 2024, around the topic of expanding the Tren Maya to Belize. The discussions included a strategic push for a train station near Belize’s border to facilitate smoother transit of tourists and goods between the two nations.

In an official statement released on March 27, 2024, it said, “Discussions centered around the possibility of establishing one of the stations at Belize’s Northern Border with Mexico, thereby providing passenger and freight service for Belize to all of southern Mexico. This will also provide access to the Interoceanic Railway in Mexico, a key route that links important port cities on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts.”

According to PM Briceño, the proposed expansion of Mexico’s Tren Maya railway into Belize is set to significantly reshape regional connectivity and economic dynamics. “The next step for them to do a study as to how we could get it to probably to Belize City or somewhere in the country.” Currently, the Tren Maya project, which spans 966.27 miles across Mexico’s southeastern states, has faced scrutiny due to lower-than-expected ridership and environmental concerns. However, the extension into Belize could offer a range of transformative benefits for both countries.

From an economic perspective, the extension could stimulate significant growth. Belizean products would gain better access to Mexican markets, potentially increasing trade volumes and boosting local industries.

The expanded network might also help address some of Tren Maya’s existing challenges. Additionally, the expansion might help mitigate some environmental concerns by promoting more sustainable cross-border travel options.