Last week he presented his letters of credentials and this week the first official event on new U.S. Ambassador to Belize Robert Dieter's calendar was a signing ceremony for nearly half a million dollars in grants. Its 442,000 to be exact and the money from the Ambassador's Funds will be shared among thirteen organizations. The checks were signed, sealed, and delivered at his residence this morning and Keith Swift has the story.
Keith Swift Reporting, [keithkswift@gmail.com]
U.S. Ambassador Robert Dieter handed over thirteen of these checks this morning. Nine of them, worth a total of US$20,000, went to groups such as Alliance Against Aids and the Young Women's Christian Association for their work in HIV and Aids prevention.
But the big winners were the environment and culture. The Friends of Nature Conservation Group received this big check for $173,580. Today was more of a formality because Chairman David Vernon says they received the money last year and it went to ensuring that the mystic whale sharks remain in the Gladden Spit and Silk Caye Marine Reserve.
David Vernon, Friends of Nature
"It benefits us because we are able to monitor and it comes back to tourism. Without us monitoring, the spawning aggregation which brings back in the whale shark, which in turn the tourists come to see, it would affect a portion of tourism within that region that Friends of Nature oversee."
And while Friends of Nature already got their $173,000 to preserve the future of the whale sharks, the Institute of Archaeology today got $100,863.40 to preserve part of our past, specifically the Cerros Mayan Site in Corozal. Director Dr. Jaime Awe says the money will unearth the true beauty of Cerros, which has been buried since it was first excavated in the 1970s.
Dr. Jaime Awe,
"We're going to go back there and expose them after twenty some years that they have been buried and then we will make replicas out of fiberglass, and we will put the replicas over the originals so that if you, or anybody, goes to visit Cerros at the end of February, you will be able to see what the mask looks like. This money will allow us to do that, and then also to conserve the whole building and then also to develop Cerros more than it is right now. It is a wonderful opportunity to do what I think is an incredible project for a very deserving area of the country of Belize."
All tolled, those thirteen checks add up to $420,000. U.S. Ambassador Dieter says the donations are more than symbolic, they are an indication of America's commitment to Belize.
Robert Dieter, U.S. Ambassador
"The amount of money that has been given, spent through numerous organizations, is quite significant and expresses the seriousness with which the United States' Government looks at these issues around the world. Obviously everyone, both in the United States and Belize, wishes that perhaps the grants would be larger but the grants, in and of themselves, we hope will be used effectively and efficiently for the purposes for which we made the donation."
And more than just handing over checks, Ambassador Dieter, who is a former law professor, says that during his tour in Belize his focus will be on public diplomacy.
Robert Dieter,
"As Ambassador to Belize I'll be focusing on many areas but the area of public diplomacy and cultural preservation and the environment and public health, through HIV/Aids effort, are going to be important initiatives during the time that I am here in Belize. I hope that the people of Belize can expect that I'll be interested in learning more about the country and meeting a lot of the Belizeans and learning about the country from you all in an effort to continue strengthening the partnerships we have between the two nations."
A partnership made closer no doubt by thirteen handshakes.
In addition to the funds donated this morning, the U.S. Embassy says that for financial year 2005 which runs from October of 2004 to September 2005, US$2.5 million in benefits is earmarked for Belize; US$2.2 million of which has already been disbursed. The majority of the aid, over US$1 million is for the military.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift
