And moving unto to another confrontation, the Prime Minister today made it clear that he had no apologies to make to Greg Choq and SATIIM. As we’ve been reporting, SATIIM has raised the alarm because government has granted US Capital Energy approval to conduct seismic testing in the Sarstun Temash National Park. Government yesterday issued a release saying it duly informed SATIIM and that group today sent out a release disputing that claim, saying that claim is, “completely false and baseless....and a total disregard for the truth.” SATIIM has stated previously that it has been betrayed by the Prime Minister who as their attorney in 2006 got the Supreme Court to declare that an EIA has to be conducted before seismic tests are performed. Well, today the PM said he’s the one who’s been betrayed.

Hon. Dean Barrow,
“If I wanted to respond in kind, I would say I feel that Greg Choq has betrayed me. When he leads a charge that wants to see the entirety of the Toledo District be placed under Mayan communal ownership without reference to other ethnic groups in the area, I am going to say straight out that he and I part ways. So I am afraid that that’s opened up a divide that in my view is irreparable. But it’s not a question of my personal feelings or Mr. Choq’s personal feeling, it is a question of the law and of national interests. The SATIIM case was previced as you said on several arguments. In effect at the time the brief was that government had no right and could not properly under law allow seismic operations, allow later on drilling in a national park. The Supreme Court of this country completely disagreed. We only won the case because as you pointed out an EIA had not been done. As I understand it, that EIA has now been done so that the one condition that the court required has been satisfied.

The court did say that SATIIM and the people in the area have a right to consultation. I believe the public officers, I believe that they have sent out the proper notices to SATIIM because there would have been no reason not to.”

And while the PM says he believes the public officers, SATIIM says it is ready to disclose every attempt it has made to engage the Department of the Environment and the Forest Department on concerns relating to seismic testing. It is also of note that SATIIM claims a Forestry Department official today visited their office to deliver two letters informing them that they had been relieved of all responsibilities, obligations, rights and privileges as it relates to the co-management agreement for the national park. That agreement expired last year.