MARIA OTERO SADDLED WITH DEFENDING US STATE DEPT UNDEFENDABLE POLICIES IN BELIZE AND CENTRAL AMERICA

Maria Otero, high placed muckity muck USA State Department, comes to Belize to defend USA drug consumer problem, with repeat of 40 year old war on drugs. Guatemalan President with his de-legalization debate has prompted mid-low-level USA bureaucrats to take notice.

WHAT CENTRAL AMERICA NEEDS IS A SIX LANE FREEWAY FROM PANAMA TO MEXICO. WE ALSO NEED IN BOND CARGO AIRPORTS AND CUSTOMS POSTS, THAT ALLOW SHIPMENTS TO GO THROUGH THE CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRIES WITHOUT HASSLE.


U.S. Under Secretary responds to Guatemala Drug Proposal
Mar 29, 2012


The Under Secretary of State Maria Otero is the highest ranking U.S. diplomat to visit Belize in recent times. Otero is responsible for foreign relations on civilian security issues; including democracy, human rights, trafficking in persons and counter-narcotics. Since Otero arrived on Wednesday, she has been meeting with Non-governmental organizations and government officials to discuss a myriad of issues. Earlier today, News Five asked Otero what were her impressions of Guatemala’s President Otto Perez Molina’s regional meeting with leaders during which he sought to decriminalize drug consumption and establish a legal route for narco-trafficking.



Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State

Maria Otero

“Our sense of that meeting and certainly our own position which continues to be the position that we have held; is a position that does not believe that decriminalizing drugs is the proper approach to dealing with it. This is the position the United States has held and will continue to hold. We don’t believe that that is really the way to be able to address this issue. We note also that the countries in Central America agreed with that decision—they also questioned whether decriminalizing is the approach that we can take to this issue. Clearly as we are trying to address the threat that drug trafficking presents for the societies in Central America and certainly globally, we look at the role they are playing; it’s useful to have a debate, a discussion, on all possible alternatives for dealing with the issue. So certainly being able to discuss this topic is something that we welcome, but our position continues to be the one that we have held since the beginning. My visit represents the priority that President Obama and Secretary Clinton have for our bilateral relationship and partnership with Belize. Suring my visit I have had the opportunity to meet leaders, officials, to reaffirm our close partnership with the Belizean people. I have been impressed by the caliber of so many of your dedicated public officials working hard in ministries, hand in hand with the members of civil society to tackle some of the most difficult challenges facing Belize today—from corruption and gang violence to creating economic opportunity for all the members of the Belizean society. The United States is pleased that Prime Minister Barrow ahs prioritized these issues for the second term of his administration and we look forward to working together to tackles these complex challenges with concrete advancement and resource. Our nations share common aspirations and common challenges including transnational organized crime, drug trafficking.”
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