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On New Year’s Eve – leaders from rival gangs met at the CYDP office and agreed to a ceasefire, which has been holding for the past week. It may not seem like much but the way things were escalating in the last few weeks of the year – city residents are grateful for even a seven day reprieve. And so is the government. More than any other single issue – including the recession, crime continues to wear most heavily upon the Barrow administration – whose members are keenly aware that the community is large is in a state of suspended terror and that the urban terror era came into effect after they took office.

It may be an unfortunate coincidence, but it is a legitimate political and social emergency – and that’s why Prime Minister said he responded when the gang leaders called for a meeting with him. it was held this afternoon at the CYDP Office and last for about forty five minutes. When his session was finished the Prime Minister told us what it was about.

Jules Vasquez,
“Mr. Prime Minister explain what today’s meeting was about.”

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
“Basically to try to maintain and continue the momentum that was generated out of the New Year’s Eve meeting. Mr. Broaster told me that the leaders wanted to hear from me personally and so that is how come I am here.”

Jules Vasquez,
“Were any concessions, undertakings made, what was the nature of the discourse?”

Hon. Dean Barrow,
“In a general sense I appealed for the maintenance of the peace on a continuing basis and promised that in turn government would step up its interventions. As you know, Minister Faber heads this inter-ministerial committee and he had actually been physically visiting with people in the various neighbourhoods.”

Jules Vasquez,
“For the avoidance of doubt, this was not a negotiation?”

Hon. Dean Barrow,
“No. I came as I said in a spirit of goodwill to signal government’s fundamental interest in maintaining the peace, to signal government’s fundamental interest in trying to assist with the kinds of conditions, creating the kinds of conditions that would be conducive to the maintenance of the peace. So it was a generalized discussion long those lines. There was no prearranged agenda, there were no demands that had been communicated to me beforehand. It was open ended, free flowing but with the clear objective being that we were trying to get from these gentlemen and there was one lady in the group, their commitment to continue what has happened since new year’s eve and as I said in return I was more than willing to promise a stepped government social and financial intervention.”

Jules Vasquez,
“Should you have sent an intermediary, should the maximum leader intervene at what is a fledging stage, it is not like an all truce has been declared, it isn’t as we have a systematic program towards truce building? Should you not have left it to someone lower?”

Hon. Dean Barrow,
“No man, not at all. My presence indicates the degree of importance that government attaches to what is happening. These fledging efforts are in fact towards the creation of some of kind of system that can provide for structural maintenance of the peace. Mr. Broaster and the gentlemen and the lady are continuing to work on that. But it is I think extremely important that I show to them and to the society at large that government is engaged at the highest level. This is perhaps the number one problem for us as a society, certainly in terms of Belize City. In that context I think it was very important that I come and I think if I had not come after they asked for me to come, that would have sent absolutely the wrong signal.”

Alfonso Noble, The Guardian
“Prime Minister there are some who would say you are basically negotiating with urban terrorists and maybe we shouldn’t be going that direction. The hardliners are saying just lock them down and do what you have to do.”

Hon. Dean Barrow,
“Well that obviously hasn’t worked. So I don’t know anybody can propose that we do only that. It has not worked. But clearly nobody is ceding the responsibility of the state to protect the citizenry. It is quite clear that if the peace doesn’t hold, then to some extent we go back to square one.”

The meeting continued with CDYP and Youth for The Future Officials for another 50 minutes after the Prime Minister left. The gangs or crews participating were George Street, Kraal Road, Southside Gangsters, Supal Street and Martin’s.