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Wilfred Says No Deal On Sarstoon Island
Thu, January 12, 2017
And keeping it on Foreign Affairs, in the last week reports surfaced alleging that Guatemala's Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales states that Belize had agreed to keep hands off the Sarstoon Island until after the territorial dispute goes to the ICJ. We asked Elrington whether there was any truth to the allegation...

Reporter
"I think it was last week a document was circulated in which its stated that you along with the Guatemalan minister agreed that there will be a non-occupation of the Sarstoon until the ICJ rules to whom it belongs to. What that the case? Did you agree to that?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"No, I didn't agree to that at all, but I will tell you this: the Sarstoon River has been unoccupied; the Sarstoon island has been unoccupied as far as I know from 1859 up to this point in time. Nobody else tries to go to it. Its abandoned island, small very marshy island. I don't know if you could do anything much on it. So neither the Guatemalans nor the British nor Belizeans have been in fact sought to do anything on it from as far back as I can find historical records for. It's not anything that I would interfere with nor the Guatemalans."

Alex Courtenay, 7News
"With an island that is so important, in terms of the border for Belize, is it wise to have it unoccupied for so long especially in the tense times with this border dispute?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"I don't think it has this great importance in relation to our borders. It is well within Belize's territory. It is Belizean territory. It is just we have so many islands all over the country, but because this one is so marshy and so soft, nobody has sought to go on it, except a few people who have their own agendas and you have to understand that not everything that is done in the name of the country is really for the country. But as I'm saying to you from 1859 until now, it has never been occupied."

Reporter
"There is agreement with the Guatemalan foreign minister to leave the island intact or as it is?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Ministers can't make agreements, our ministers take instructions from the cabinet and our cabinet has not even discuss that. It's just malicious rumor that people spread. With social media now people say anything and everything. Much of it have no real basis in truth."

The Sarstoon Island is the Southern most island in Belizean territory, and while it is un-inhabited and hardly ever used by locals or the BDF, it is an integral part of Belize's territory - which, like half the country - is claimed by Guatemala.

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