She's angry about what Elringotn told the press yesterday in an interview about the Jacobo Arbenz 4-lane freeway to Puerto Barios . Here are his remarks:...

Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Foreign Minister
"The whole issue of the building of the road under the 1859 treaty was regarded by the British as a non-issue, that's a non-issue. So whether they build it or not is not of any moment, it's not going to affect in any way the litigation in which we have, that's a non-issue, it has no real bearing on the issue. Why we have to go to ICJ is because we don't have borders that are internationally recognized and that can put us in trouble."

Lisa Shoman's letter says "For the Foreign Minister of Belize to make that statement is nothing short of ridiculous and it is utterly wrong. Prime Minister, as you well know, Belize does in fact, have borders that are internationally recognized. It is GUATEMALA that refuses to now recognize portions of those borders. They must - and do - recognize our border at Benque Viejo Del Carmen. It is an international border crossing. It is actually that a public official of the highest caliber, such as Foreign Minister Elrington who makes this kind of statement that can put us in trouble."

So, can such a small statement really have such a lasting impact? That's what we asked Shoman this evening, and she asserted that it definitely does:

Lisa Shoman, Former Foreign Minister
"Words matter. What you say matters. When you are the foreign minister of Belize, you speak for Belize. I have known this all the time that I was an ambassador and the short period of time that I had the honor of Belize's foreign minister. I carefully measured my words, because words matter."

"For Foreign Minister Elrington to say that we have to go to the ICJ because Belize has no internationally recognized borders is not completely outrageous, it is completely and totally inaccurate. Even Guatemala who does not all of our borders, even Guatemala recognizes and has to recognize the border at Melchor and Benque every single day. They do not recognize some of our borders. For instance, the Sarstoon River since 2015. They do not recognize our maritime areas. They claim all of our territorial seas and all of our cayes except St. George's Caye. But not even the Guatemalans who are the only country on earth that do not recognize all our borders. Not even Guatemala thinks that we have no internationally recognized borders. So that statement has to be rejected in its totality and so my open letter is more than a letter of complaint. It is really as a citizen and as a former foreign minister of Belize I demand that it be rejected and that the Prime Minister of Belize say so to the entire world on behalf of the people and government of Belize."

"You know there is a convention that former foreign ministers do not criticize the sitting office holder. I've held to that for almost 10 years for the most part. I cannot let this latest pronouncement by Foreign Minister Elrington just fly by the radar. It isn't just words. Somebody has to call it out. I am calling it out. Other Belizeans are calling it out and I think justifiably so and the Prime Minister is the one who has the responsibility ultimately to pronounce what is the official policy of the government of Belize and it cannot be that we are going to the ICJ, because we have no internationally recognized borders and we can get into trouble. That is with all due respect completely and totally wrong."

And, today, another PUP former Foreign Affairs Minister weighed in on the statement. PUP Senator Eamon Courtenay said via text message, quote, "Mr Elrington continues to exhibit utmost incompetence and lack of understanding of international law. Our borders were defined and recognized even before independence. He should resign rather than continue to misrepresent Belize."