And Belize's highest paid and highest-profiled public officer, Prime Minister Said Musa was in Washington this week holding high level meeting with U.S. President George Bush and Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister joined CARICOM leaders in a session with President Bush. The most pressing subject of discussion was the Caribbean Basin Initiative. It's been in effect from 1983 and is about to expire. When it does, it will leave the Caribbean with no special trade avenue into the United States. That made it a priority for discussions and PM Musa reports that President Bush was eager to help. He says the meeting was a success, of sorts.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"On a whole yes, as I said, it is a qualified success. We did achieve what I considered a very important matter that we went there for, which is as you know the fast track authority of the administration comes to an end in two weeks time. So there is no hope of being able to negotiate the so called free trade agreement between the Caribbean and United States within that time.
What we are hoping to achieve and what we have been promised is that the Caribbean Basin Initiative will be renewed by the President with the support of the Congress. We are hoping that will be done before the end of this year because as you know that too comes to an end in 2008. And of course in the case of Belize that will be of great benefit for us to be able to maintain that, in the case of our citrus in particular, sugar, papayas, and all the other products."
Jules Vasquez,
Isn't it a retrograde maneuver on the part of the CSME to ask for a CBI extension, that is like so 80s?
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"It may sound like so 80s but the truth is it is better than having nothing at all. But yes you are right, it is not really a 21st century type of trade agreement that we eventually want but we have to work towards that."
Jules Vasquez,
Sir were you disappointed that U.S. President George Bush refused to move on the issue of deportees that they keep flooding the Caribbean nations with?
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"Not really because we were not surprised by his response. We knew that that was the United States' government position that these people are criminals and they don't want them in their country. We made the point of course that these people have become sophisticated criminals in their country, in the USA, and that they are just dumping back the problem on us since we have to take them back, once they are proven to be our nationals, you have to help us and help us to integrate them back into society, help us to deal with the whole issue of monitoring their behavior, once they return to a respective territory."
Bush also encouraged CARICOM leaders to produce ethanol and the sugar cane that's used to produce ethanol. He committed that the U.S. will buy all of it up as part of its renewable energy strategy.
