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On Monday, a new Guatemalan Ambassador presented his credentials to Governor General, Sir Colville Young in Belmopan. He is Manuel Roldan Barillas – a senior diplomat with 26 years in the Guatemalan Foreign service. He has served as Ambassador in Canada and Brazil but calls Belize his most important posting so far. And he enters at an interesting time – right when a public case is being made in Belize that the Guatemalan military is becoming increasingly aggressive against Belizeans – both out armed forces and our civilians. Today Roldan deflected the suggestion that his country is becoming increasingly hostile towards Belizeans. We started by asking him about the detention of five Belizeans over the weekend in Santa Cruz, Guatemala.

H.E. Manuel Roldan Barillas - New Guatemalan Ambassador to Belize

"if you were to read the note that your government sent to the OAS office, it states that we had a very active role in trying to sort things out and that's exactly what happened. I haven't got the official information yet, the OAS hasn't pronounced itself yet as to what was requested of it. It's something that happens, human relations are not easy sometimes and they have a version and we have a version - we have to try to conciliate those. We're happy to see that everything was taken care of rapidly, that they are back in Belize and let's see how it goes from there."

Jules Vasquez

"On the objective circumstances, did they appear to have been abuses or excessive use of arm? Or intimidation by the Guatemalan authorities?"

H.E. Manuel Roldan Barillas

"What I have been informed is that armed forces actually called the civilian national police for them to take care of the situation. So as I say, I haven't gotten the official documents yet but the version that I have is that it wasn't the armed forces but the national police - which actually is in charge of handling those kinds of situations. To us there wasn't any excesses, to you they might have been - so those are conflicting version, as you say we have to try and conciliate those things."

Jules Vasquez

"Now, there are concerns in Belize abiding concerns that there is a rising trend of jingoism or militarism on your side of the border - on the Guatemalan side. That there's these acts of aggression and hostility. Is this in fact an emboldening, intimidatory actions by the Guatemalan military?"

H.E. Manuel Roldan Barillas

"Thank you for the opportunity of answering this question. And I'm going to answer with a phrase of my president. The last time he mentioned the relationship he said we're not the enemy, we're your friends. We don't want to embed on any military activity, no we're not. As you see they were objective circumstances that were interpreted in some way here, we interpreted differently. The issue with the reef was an accident - the boat broke down. It's how you interpret things, there's no intention, there's no aggression intention in Guatemala - we're your friends, we're not the enemy. That is precisely what I'm here to try and transmit, we're not enemies, we're friends and we got to be friends because we're never going to move. Our neighbourhood is always going to be the same and you have to get to know you're neighbour and be as polite with them as you can."

Jules Vasquez

"There is never uniformity in action from a single policy statement or opposition statement. Individuals in certain areas may act a certain way and perhaps the continued actions by the Belize territorial volunteers have energised some Guatemalan military operatives who are in outposts; and perhaps little far from the centre and feel that okay, you guys are trying to show yourself– we will show you. Might there not be - certainly it happens in any organisation, that those on the fringes perhaps don't execute their orders of those in the central area?"

H.E. Manuel Roldan Barillas

"Well that is precisely the task of the higher military authorities. To be able to transmit the official posture, if you will of trying to keep things the right dimension, trying to not let things get out of hand and trying to see the larger picture. I wouldn't agree with that posit that actually states, like we're trying to show strength – no need for that.

Jules Vasquez

"Is it an objective factor - do you accept the fact that we believe to be a fact that Sarstoon island represents the inclusive territory of Belize and that the border marker or the borderline is at the deepest channel in the Sarstoon river, south of the Sarstoon island. Is it something that you all accept?"

H.E. Manuel Roldan Barillas

"That is precisely part of what will be dealt with at the ICJ. I'm not here to give an opinion to that respect and as I told you, that is a completely different dynamic. What I'm here to do is try to foster the day to day relationship. Those technical issues are to be dealt with at the ICJ."

Roldan would strictly not go into the deeper tangle of Belize-Guatemala relations – all the time insisting that he is here to manage the day to day affairs between the two countries, which, he stressed, have to improve as a matter of practical necessity:..

H.E. Manuel Roldan Barillas - New Guatemalan Ambassador to Belize

"I think we lived back to back for too long, so it's time for us to be able to see each other in the eye and see how we can tackle common challenges together. So that's precisely it. As you know, we do have a referendum it's been there for a long time but it has it's own course. What we wanna do is tackle the day to day relationship and that's precisely it we're brothers, we're neighbours we have to be friends and that's precisely the key to the whole thing. That's the challenge at hand if you will, it gets complicated - what friendship isn't complicated? I haven't seen one that's perfectly simple but that makes it the all more interesting and that's what I am here for. They're blood ties between our people so we're family, we're friends. As I said, you can add a little silver and you could not tell the difference. That's precisely what we must rescue and what must make the whole relationship. We must rescue those values, we must try to take out everything that actually pollutes our day to day understanding and get along better. That's precisely my mission here, that's why I'm so excited, that's why you see a smile on my face, I'm happy to be here - I feel at home."

Roldan is the son of a Guatemalan Diplomat and grew up in Wahsington DC while his father was posted there.

Guatemala maintains its Embassy in Belize City; all other major embassies have moved to Belmopan.