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And, of course, when we met him today in Corozal, we also asked the Prime Minister about the Cane Crisis - which he mediated as a lone intermediary.
If you watched the news - you'll know that many nortenos had hard words for the PM -because they felt that he was taking the side of ASR - BSI - over the sons and daughters of the soil, the cane farmers.
Today the Prime Minister said the media commentators under-estimate how difficult this all was - and it couldn't have been solved any earlier:
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well in every negotiation you have to give and take and both sides gave and both sides gave up so it's a matter of finding that balancing act between the BSI and the BSCFA And also the other associations and so it is a matter of give and take it was a long arduous negotiation. I'm amazed at sometimes in the media you don't remember what I have been through. Two years ago I sent the letter to both sides when they had the same problem giving them one year to have an agreement and one year later the did not have an agreement. A mediator was appointed by the name of Ms Bradley and she worked with both sides and she couldn't get anywhere so again that ended at a stalemate. Then we appointed a subcommittee of cabinet we asked Kareem Musa to head it along with minister Mai and Minister Mira and they have been doing shuffled diplomacy from both sides and now as we are coming to the end of that time you know I was asked to intervene just before the new year and we had an agreement it's only when I was on the 30th and 29th I was informed that it fell down so on the second. I had for return home to look after this matter and I'm happy that I did and that was Wednesday and by Thursday again we had an agreement from both sides I gave them in writing commitment from both ends so there is a matter now of putting it into the agreements. I was helping in those agreements right up until Saturday evening which was almost finished and that's when the CEO from BSI suggested maybe just leave the two lawyers to iron out the small differences it was mostly on semantics and the words and then on Sunday evening I was told it fell down and I made an appeal to Mac. I said Mac we really need to get this done and to also the president of the BSCFA and so Monday morning I thought it was going well and went to work in belmopan and I was called by minister Musa who said it's best I come here so I went there to bring the two groups to sit around this table and we are not leaving until we have an agreement and it didn't take much work because we were so close and so here we are we had an agreement we signed the agreement and as she explained all's well that ends well."
