U.S. Embassy Weighs In Amid Mai Controversy

The fallout from Abelardo Mai’s resignation is still making waves, and now the U.S. Embassy is in the mix. Mai stepped down in mid-November, reportedly under pressure from the Prime Minister, who some say is facing pressure from Washington. PM John Briceño insists Mai left for health reasons, citing a back injury from a horse fall. Today, reporters asked U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Katharine Beamer about her October meeting with the PM. She wouldn’t share details, saying only that the U.S. and Belize have a strong partnership focused on fighting drug trafficking and strengthening ties.

 

Katharine Beamer, Charge d’Affaires, US Embassy

“I have an excellent relationship with all the Belizean counterparts. Everyone here has been pretty warm and welcoming to me. I arrived here in Belize about three months ago and we had spoken about a range of topics with the prime minister and I don’t feel comfortable speaking about any specifics, but the United States and Belize enjoy a really robust partnership. Certainly, countering narcotics trafficking and improving the relationship between Belize and the United States is among my foremost priorities.”

 

Reporter

“Do we have a narcotics problem here in Belize?”

 

Katharine Beamer

“Well Belize has, throughout recent memory, has featured on the majors list. It is considered a narcotics transportation hub, not hub, necessarily, but it is on the narcotics transportation route. So a lot of our work is thwarting that illicit trafficking because it is on the path from the production sites in South America to the United States, so it’s important for us to continue working with Belizean authorities to curb that flow.”

 

Mai’s resignation followed a social media controversy in October linking him to crime, claims he called ‘fabricated and defamatory.’ His ministerial appointment was officially revoked on November 18.