CELAC, CHAVEZ, BELIZE and ECONOMIC DREAMS!

CELAC AND CHAVEZ & BELIZE
There was the first meeting of Presidents and Prime Ministers of the American Continent held in Caracas yesterday. All the countries of the Americas, with the exception of the USA and Canada were invited. Only two countries did not have a head of state present. Belize was one of them. We were represented by Wilfred Elrington, our Belize Foreign Minister, in lieu of our Prime Minister, Dean Barrow.
The aim of the meeting was a forming and integration of the economics of all of the American countries from the Southern border of the USA, to Patagonia, in one economic BLOC. I believe this represents 34 countries. The Caribbean countries were also invited as part of this American DREAM of Chavez. There are four languages that are official, in this huge block of this American continent. They are Dutch, Portugese, Spanish and English. Spanish is the most common language. These countries of the Americas have many other languages, which are indigeneous Indian languages. Guatemala our neighbor for instance has 21 totally different Mayan languages commonly used in homes and villages. South America similarly.
While the dream makes sense, the lessons of the European Union need to be heeded and the DREAM will be neither easy, or even totally possible. It could though be; as CARICOM has shown us here in Belize, partially completed in a short time. The dream already exists in some smaller Geographical BLOC organizations. Belize for instance is NOW a member of a number of Central American groupings. Security, joint defense and police, climate change and metereological gatherings, sports, and so forth. About the only thing I can think of is that Belize is the only one of the seven countries of Central America, that do not belong to the electrical sharing GRID. That will probably come over the next ten years.
Chavez stated goal, was to eliminate the manipulation and controls of the European Union and the USA , for their OWN ADVANTAGE,; by meddling in the countries of the Americas in a divide and conquer method. We have seen that in; BANANAS, SUGAR and LOBSTER exports. Also in financial clearing houses, banking and other EU and USA Empire building control organizations, here in Belize. We need Chavez says; to speak with one voice, much like CARICOM speaks for a group of common language countries of the Caribbean. Chavez is currently moving his GOLD RESERVES back from LONDON, to Venezuela.
Chavez tried something similar with his ALBA a grouping of socialist countries. The grouping was rejected by Belize on the grounds, that joining economically meant signing away our FREEDOM to vote in the United Nations independently. Chavez would end up with the vote of many countries to forward Venezuela´s own agenda, by his Alba joining contract. ALBA is controlled by Chavez. Also, we already have a loose arrangement for voting as a BLOC in the United Nations in CARICOM. As it stands right now, we are more attached to Central America than we are to CARICOM. Our ties to Mexico and Central America economically speaking, are growing stronger month by month. They represent a huge pragmatic market for us here in Belize.
The DREAM has been around for a long time, and you can find it on my BLOG some years back. http://westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com This dream once did exist, under SPAIN as an EMPIRE. Simon Bolivar broke up the SPANISH AMERICAN EMPIRE and countries were formed under Generals who became dictators.
To be positive, we could start with something simple, to begin this logical and economic DREAM. Let us drop the VISA requirement for ALL COUNTRIES in this CELAC grouping. No VISAS required by any country of the AMERICAN CONTINENT to travel to any other country in the AMERICAS. Where previous visa controls applied and fee earning revenues, we could do like MEXICO and substitute the TOURIST CARD. About a $7 USA fee and record of international visitor travel.
For example, direct transportation and aircraft flights are impossible between Caribbean countries and Belize. The cheapest way to go, is through the USA. This requires a VISA and eliminates many people of the AMERICAS the ability to travel as tourists, or to do other economic business. Since HOMELAND SECURITY and the POLICE STATE has been recently legislated in the USA, who is constantly at war around the world as part of their ECONOMIC EMPIRE; travel to that country, or through that country has disrupted existing methods of travel for the citizens of the Americas even more. VISA requirements control Colombia for instance, they do not require a VISA to visit TURKEY, but citizens of COLOMBIA have to travel through intermediate countries in the EU, for which they must have VISAS. So the none VISA requirement for TURKEY is meaningless. The freedom for Belizeans to travel through CARICOM also does not exist for Belizean citizens. We have no airplane, or shipping direct transportation between us. We tried a few years ago, to do this, but there was no financial capability by any country, who mostly are all broke, like the EU countries and the USA
CHAVEZ is talking about replacing the OAS with a genuine organization in CELAC, run by the 34 countries of the Americas. It is my understanding that the USA has quit financially supporting the OAS? He who pays the piper will call the tune! Who will pay for social programs to fight poverty, throughout the Americas, another stated goal of Chavez´s DREAM. You can say what you want about the USA, but recently I heard that 55% of their population were on some kind of WELFARE. Which is a damning statistic. The success of the USA though, is that the 55% poor in poverty, or trouble, do have a safety net of some degree, through USA social programs. These things do not exist in South America, or Central America, or the Caribbean countries to my knowledge. Give KUDOS to the USA for doing something right socialistically speaking.
Could we replace the USA as an airline HUB, for travel throughout the CARIBBEAN and the AMERICAS. If so, how? Another DREAM. No VISA requirements another DREAM. What will CELAC do about these DREAMS? What will BELIZE do independently about dropping VISA requirements for any of these American Continent CELAC countries? It all starts here at home in Belize. We can start here, however small, in this joint economic dream. It is a good idea.