On Sunday morning at 9:00, Guatemala's Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales had breakfast with his Belizean counterpart Wilfred Elrington at the Radisson. It was an informal breakfast, which was held in the private Board Room at the Radisson. The meeting lasted an hour and a half and when it was done, Elrington told us what they discussed:..
Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Actually he wanted to give me an update as to what is happening in Guatemala at this time. Going through some turbulent times, and so he wanted to give me an update on that. And he also wanted us to kind of form-up the procedure that we are going to adapt when we go to sign the amended special agreement next week Monday. And then he also wanted us to look at the 13 agreements which we had signed in Placencia and to see how we could start trying to implement those."
Belize police acted on their own orders and would not allow us to get close to the Guatemalan Foreign Minister to get an interview. Minister Morales - whose wife is Belizean - was accompanied at the breakfast meeting by the new Guatemalan ambassador to Belize who is expected to present his credential this week.
As Elrington noted - they meet again in Guatemala City next week when they will sign the adjustment to the special agreement. This adjustment will allow the Guatemalans to hold their referendum first. We asked Elrington if this unexpected wrinkle has caused any souring in relations:..
Jules Vasquez
"Is there any ill-will I should say introduced into the relationship, because the whole idea of a joint referendum has now been scuttled?"
Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"No, I can't see any difficulty with it, but it is proving to be more difficult than have been anticipated earlier to find a convenient date for it to be done simultaneously. So if we can't do it simultaneously, then we will try to do it some other time. And the political agendas for both our countries are different."
Jules Vasquez
"Some have taken umbrage at the fact that it will be signed in Guatemala City, saying that you are seeding the upper hand to them."
Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Again it is only a technical process. Has no real significance in my mind as to where it is signed, whether it is signed here or Guatemala or Washington. It's just a technical process. Whatever happens Jules, we can't move, geographically we are pegged to each other. So whatever happens we will have to live together, in unity, harmony and in peace. And in order for us to do that we cannot be enemies, we have to treat each other with respect, in a cordial manner with courtesy and try to work out ways where we could interact in a harmonious and pleasant way."
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