Now, this is mostly symbolic - since government doesn't need the Senate's ratification to proceed. Today's meeting was preceded by a session with the Minster of Foreign Affairs explaining the reason for bringing the motion to the senate - and not surprisingly, the government side was convinced and the opposition was not. Here's both sides of that story:...

Hon. Godwin Hulse, Chmn., Cabinet Investment Committee
"The question of course was that whether in fact we should authorize the ratification, that is the main issue. As for the foreign minister, his team and the government the consensus says we should approve the ratification of both the special agreement and the protocol there too. It doesn't mean that we're doing anything else but ratifying that and as you all know, this has to be made clear, it is not signaling that the government is going to do anything more than getting all its ducks in order so that if and when we go to a referendum, we will have passed this stage already. This question will be decided in both countries by the people and that is a given, it has to be decided by the people. What it does however is signal, as I understand it, to our friends who are funding a lot of this, because we don't have the resources, that in fact we are at this stage and that we are committed to move forward."

Hon. Valerie Woods, Senator, PUP
"One of the number one arguments lodged by the government is this is so important for the people of Belize to make this decision because it sends a strong signal to the international community. On this side of the senate, all we're saying is that that signal could have been sent anytime within the last 8 years."

When the vote on the agreement protocol was passed, a division was taken. IT was 8 in favour and four against. The four against were the 3 opposition senators and the labor senator.