Belmopan, Belize 10 February (Belizean.com) The Prime Minister of Belize Hon. Dean Barrow has roundly condemned the threats from O.E.C.D. nations against tax havens such as Belize. In radio reports monitored in Belize Mr. Barrow stated that:

""Our financial services efforts are a means of trying to diversify at trying to diversify. At a time of a global recession when these people are doing nothing to help us to try to put pressure on us to try to cut off; throttle a legitimate means of economic diversification I think is thoroughly outrageous. That having been said they have the power and we have tried as small countries to get together and to lobby them, and to petition them and to scream at them; it has gotten us no where so we clearly have to comply. Belize is in the process of complying, we have already signed three of the tax information exchange agreements. I believe the magic number is 12. We have seven lined up and two more lined up with two of the Dutch speaking Caribbean countries. We are confident that we will meet the threshold and the deadline in order to avoid the imposition of the sanctions."

Mr. Barrow added that while very unfair, Belize intends to comply:

"All you have to do is meet the deadline. You have until March and you see
what it is they require you sign a number of these tax information exchange
agreements: twelve. I am saying we have already signed three and nine are in the
pipeline and in the pipeline in a fashion that ought to see us complete the
signing of that additional nine agreements before the deadlines for the sanction
in fact materializes. Again, I just want to make the point that they tell you to
sign these twelve TIA's as they are called Tax Information Exchange Agreement
but you have to then turn around and go and beg people to sign with you. The
OECD countries which are pressuring you to sign these agreements do not say and
look we have a list of our members lined up for you. Here is the model of our
agreement; you are willing to sign we will get members; no, no, no. They tell
you sign and if you do not you will be sanctioned so you don't sign at your
pert.  But in order for you to sign you must go out there and beg people to give
you a chance; it is horribly unfair and I need to put that on record. But anyway
we are doing it."