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Prime Minister John Briceño says Belize needs international assistance to keep drug cartels at bay. His comments come as he spoke on the country’s position on the United States-led Shield of the Americas initiative. Speaking with the media this afternoon, Briceño discussed the security challenges facing Belize and the need for support in preventing powerful criminal networks from gaining ground.
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Well, we just had a brief discussion just now with the ambassador and the colonel and what we’ve just talked briefly about it, and I’m having the technical people to meet. I’ve been asking the CEO for National Security along with the commandant for the BDF and the admiral for the Coast Guard to be able to meet with them and to see what is working. We know we need help. We’ve been always saying that we need more equipment, more intelligence, more training to be able to control any kind of attempt from the cartels especially in Mexico to be able to come into Belize. So we will see what can work and whatever that can work in our interest and the interests of the region, we’re prepare to do our part.”
Reporter: The other countries are rejecting, and in the case of Guatemala, saying that their constitution does not allow foreign troops coming on soil. Would we disallow that too?
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Well, as I said, let the technical people speak first, and then after that, I’ll be able to answer you.”
The Shield of the Americas was launched in March this year as a regional effort against drug cartels and transnational criminal organisations. The initiative promotes closer security cooperation, including military and law enforcement action against those networks and their sources of financing. Belize has already participated in the related Americas Counter Cartel Conference. Then Defence Minister Florencio Marin Junior attended the March meeting at United States Southern Command headquarters in Florida, where participating countries signed a non-binding security declaration. Briceño said at the time that Belize had not been invited to the separate leaders’ summit held shortly afterwards. The conference declaration calls for stronger cooperation on intelligence sharing, border and maritime security, training and coordination among security forces. Belize was among its signatories, alongside Central American and Caribbean partners. For Belize, which borders Mexico and Guatemala and has an extensive Caribbean coastline, those areas of cooperation are particularly relevant to protecting routes that criminal networks could exploit. The Prime Minister’s comments place the need for outside assistance at the centre of Belize’s response to that threat
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