And, finally tonight, from Celebrations to diplomacy - we asked the Foreign Ministers about the deliberations and considerations that go into making diplomatic assignments.
As we told you last week - the deck has been shuffled and some of the face cards set aside, while new faces were introduced. Here's how Fonseca explained it:
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"We've kept a few, uh, ambassadors, um, and those that we change, it's not a reflection of, you know, them not doing their job, uh, competently or effectively. Um, it's just that we think. And certainly I think, and the Prime Minister shared shares that view that when it comes to the foreign service, um, we need to try to inject new blood into, into the diplomatic core."
"In the case of, um, the United Washington, in the case of of us, the US. Ambassador, um, nester, Mende. Um, we wanted, uh, the outgoing ambassador to come to Belize to, to focus on a, a particular project to help us with, with the port. Um, and we felt that Nester Mende, who had just stepped down from the OAS, who had completed his term of office as a six. Assistant Secretary General of the OES, that, you know, he was in Washington. He had a lot of good contacts, a lot of good connections. He understood how Washington works. Um, we thought he would be a very, very effective, uh, ambassador. And of course he's served there in Washington before. Um, in the case of Taiwan."
"Um, we are very grateful for the work that outgoing Ambassador Kandy Spitz did. Um, but we had an opportunity to bring in, um, Catherine Maine. Um, again, there we felt this was somebody who we think, um, could drive Belize's, uh, trade and investment, uh, agenda. In terms of Taiwan, we believe there are great opportunities for expanding trade and investment with Taiwan."
"Um, she's, uh, you know, she lived in Taiwan. She studied in Taiwan. Um, so. You know, I think, um, we felt that those were the right moves to make."
Unnamed Speaker:
"Has Dr. Candi Spitz, not to be unkind, but just from a very cynical political perspective, has she outlived her useful life as a political functionary?"
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"No. No, not at all. Not at all. Um, that's a very cynical, uh, view of things. Um, no, it's, you know, um, ambassadors, you know, that's not a lifetime appointment. She served well. Um, you know, we served with distinction, um, but we felt, as I said, that we wanted, uh, a new focus on trade and investment and we thought Ambassador Maine, um, would bring that in terms of Taiwan, you will know"
Unnamed Speaker:
"your sister-in-law is, will be the new Belize High Commissioner in the uk. How would you defend that being that it's a major upgrade and it's a sustain law?"
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Well, as you pointed out, the Prime Minister makes the appointments, um. So, no, nothing. Sherry has served as ambassador to Taiwan. Uh, she served as ambassador to Taiwan. She served as most recently as ambassador to El Salvador and Honduras and a number of other countries. Um, she's been in the diplomatic service of Belize for many, many years. Um, we consider her a senior diplomat. Um, so I think it's absolutely well deserved."
