BELIZE: POLITICAL DEMONSTRATIONS PLANNED

UNCLAS BELMOPAN 000342 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CEN//JASON MACK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ASEC BH SUBJECT: BELIZE: POLITICAL DEMONSTRATIONS PLANNED FOR FRIDAY MAY 18. REF: BELMOPAN 330 ¶1. A special session of the Belizean House of Representatives has been called for Friday, May ¶18. The Prime Minister was forced to convene the meeting to address dissent over his decision to provide a government guarantee of a 33 million dollar private debt (reftel). He will presumably request a vote to authorize the government to honor a guarantee made to the Belize Bank in ¶2004. ¶2. In response, the opposition has called for protest demonstrations to be held outside the parliament building during the special session. The opposition plans to bus in supporters from around the country and hopes for a crowd of 5,000. An opposition leader in northern Orange Walk District told us that he was arranging for 55 busloads of supporters, around 3,000 people, from his area alone. The government has also called for a counter-demonstration of support. The Superintendent of Police has informed the Embassy that he expects as many as 7,000 protestors and that he ?is prepared for the worst,? but hopes that there is no violence. A similar demonstration in Belmopan in 2005 got out of control and resulted in significant damage. DIETER