WASHINGTON, CMC - The United States Department of State says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Belize to protect the country’s cultural heritage. It said the MOU for five years “demonstrates a commitment by both governments to staunch the pillage and illicit trafficking of Belize’s archaeological heritage of African, indigenous Maya, Spanish, and British influences”. The State Department said the Belize government requested the agreement under Article 9 of the 1970 United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.