Belize Secures U.S. Deal, But Will $250M Still Stand?

The Millennium Challenge Corporation grant is back on the table and Belize is in. After months of uncertainty, Prime Minister John Briceño confirmed that the U.S. has reinstated the MCC grant. But will Belize still get the full two hundred and fifty million dollars that was promised? And what changes had to be made to keep it? The grant, which was signed last year, is meant to transform education and lower energy costs, but now, technical teams from both sides are reviewing the terms. So, what does this mean for Belize? Here’s what the Prime Minister had to say.

 

Prime Minster John Briceño

“That’s what they’re proposing. So now we need to sit down to discuss basically what they’re saying. They want to remove more from education, to put it into energy, and also then from energy look at not only in sustainable or renewable sources of energy, but also using fossil fuels. Obviously that is  the new American government, they have this emphasis on fossil fuel. So I think it’s just reflecting that. We will do our very best to try to talk to them, to point out, to make the point that Belize is a country known for its natural beauty, its sustainable development policies, and that we want to move more in to renewable sources of energy and try to control as best as we possible can the expansion of fossil fuels for energy.”

 

Reporter

“Are we giving up anything for this grant to keep it. Because obviously we know that Trump is America first.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Every leader is supposed to be their country first. I am Belize first. First and foremost. That should never be questioned. But then you need to negotiate. And that’s what we do. So we be, we’ll be negotiating with them.”

 

Reporter

“To give up what?”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“To give up what? Tell me what do we give up?”

 

Reporter

“I don’t know. Supporting the US military.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Well that has not come up to us. And we’ve always said that the CARICOM, we have always said that Belize, the Caribbean supposed to be an area of peace and an area of free of nuclear weapons and that has, that continues to be.”