The 43rd OAS General Assembly continued today in Antigua Guatemala. Later on Jules Vasquez who is in Antigua, will have a report on the opening plenary session, but first we have an interview with the Guatemalan Foreign Minister who is the lead figure at this event. He held a press conference an hour ago - and after, the Belize media in Guatemala asked him about the offensive map - which we stress has made no appearance at this General Assembly. Here's what he had to say:
Fernando Carrera- Guatemalan Foreign Minister
"Well the map to make it very clear has never included Belize on our, or the same color as the rest..."
Reporter
"It's been used in presentations in international forums."
Fernando Carrera
"Yes, but we have criticized those Guatemalans who have done that because that's not authorized at all. Our official position is that between the territory of Guatemala and Belize there is no border recognized, but we have what we call the 'zona de adjacencia' - the Adjacency Zone. So within that we put something that is a dotted line, a dotted line indicates it is not a border, but it is something that we had both agreed is more or less what we call the adjacency zone that is it. And so the map expresses that in it."
Reporter
"How confident are you that there will be a referendum in 2013?"
Fernando Carrera
"So far I'm confident in the sense that we're trying to make things possible but we haven't set a deadline and we are not going to stick to a deadline right now. I think what is important is that we have issued confidence and I think that it is very important that we create the right environment in which sense I feel confident because I think we're moving in the right environment. I think we have a very good dialogue with Belize and we have a rhythm of complete measures with recognized together with the OAS and possible steps in the future so we can have some kind of referendum as soon as possible."
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