7 News Belize

Guat And Belize Foreign Ministers Hold Joint Press Conference With OAS
posted (July 27, 2015)
For the past 2 weeks, the local news has been dominated by the discussion of the Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute, and in particular, the heated discussions about the forward operating base that the Coast Guard wants to put on Sarstoon Island in the south.

By now, you probably know about the Foreign Minister's comments on the topic. Instead of quelling the critics OF Belize's foreign policy, his comments inflamed those who have an abiding distrust of all things Guatemalan.

So, today, in an attempt to change the current narrative on this issue, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington held a major press conference at the Raddison Hotel to give an update on the territorial claim. He was flanked by senior representatives of the Organization of American States, which is acting as mediator, and senior representatives of the Guatemalan government. Daniel Ortiz reports:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
All the diplomats, both from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the Diplomatic and Consular Corps who were invited to this press conference filed in and took their seats. Chief among them, who would take the head-table, was Belizean Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington, the Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Carlos Raul Morales and the Chief of OAS Peace Fund Magdalena Talamás.

The first speaker was Elrington who gave a 20 minute history lesson on how the Guatemalan claim has changed over time from the days of the British Colonial Government up to present day.

Next up was Carlos Raul Morales on why his Government wants to maintain peace while trying to settle their country's claim to Belize, and what steps have been taken in the recent past, so that the resolution can hopefully be arrived at without both nations being openly hostile to each other. His presentation was a lot shorter just over 10 minutes.

Both men spent their time at the podium pointing out the surprisingly friendly relations have shared despite this polarizing issue of this unfounded claim. No one can reasonably question that diplomacy between the two Governments has been to the benefit of lasting peace between Belize and Guatemala.

But, what about those controversial instances in recent times which have caused the anti-Guatemala sentiments to increase once again? The press tried to put a few tough questions to both Foreign Ministers. Elrington made it clear that this kind of behavior would not be freely entertained. He gave the impression that to challenge the Guatemalan Foreign Minister on the rightness or wrongness of their Government's actions is a threat to peace and Belize's national security.

Geovannie Brackett, reporter
"As the representative for the OAS, is this whole entire week an event to PR I guess some of the bad publicity that the OAS has received and to build confidence in the donors for the fund to further fund these arrangements between Belize and Guatemala?"

Magdalena Talamás - Chief, OAS Peace Fund
"No it isn't. We have had this activity plan for a very long time. This activity was supposed to take place last year and unfortunately due to certain circumstances, it could not take place. But it is a very important opportunity."

Geovannie Brackett, reporter
"You speak that Guatemala wants peace. However we has a present issue where the coast guard was prepared to start building a forward operating base. What is the reason for the Guatemalans objection to our base, considering the fact that that is considered well within Belizean territory - have always considered part of Belizean territory. It is those type of aggression (if I may characterized it as that) that very well jeopardize the very peace that you all had been describing."

H. E. Carlos Raul Morales - Guatemalan Foreign Minister
"We agree of the confidence building measures, the first one was in 2000 and the second was in 2005. We took the decision to not increase the military bases in the vicinity of both countries. With the objective to avoid incidents. This moment your Excellency Mr. Elrington we had a very good meeting - an excellent meeting and he told me that this is not going to be a military base. It is going to be a coast guard base that depends on the police. What we want exactly is to avoid incidents. Every time we have an incident, every time a person die in Belize or in Guatemala, there is a very bad spirit against the other country. Then we agree this mooring to work on a protocol between both countries to have control of this area - the Amatique Bay, south by the Sarstoon area. Again, what we are trying to do is to apply this agreement that we signed in 2005 - the confidence building measures - to do not increase the military presence in the area in the vicinity of the both countries to avoid incidents. In this case again, Minister Elrington told me and explained to me that this is going to a coast guard base and we will work on a protocol to try to coordinate our actions between both countries in the area to fight against narco-traffic, against the bad people, against the criminals. Not against the local people which is our intention to protect in the Belize side and the Guatemalan side."

Geovannie Brackett, reporter
"Will Guatemala remove their military presence from the Sarstoon?"

H. E. Carlos Raul Morales - Guatemalan Foreign Minister
"If you read the confidence building measures, it says that our commitment is to do not build another base after this signature of this instrument. It was signed on 2000. Then we are doing and Belize and Guatemala did it, with respect all the military bases we have in that moment and this is why we didn't remove. This is the only one. I think the other one is in Melchor de Mencos - something like that."

Daniel Ortiz
"Clarify for us what is the result of these discussions? Are we allowed? Is it acceptable that we will be building that base there at some point in the near future?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs - Belize
"Let me just take the question. The decision as to whether or what base is going to be built in Belize is a decision that is made entirely by the government of Belize. The fact that Guatemala may have had some reservation in terms of us putting a military base there, that is a natural and normal response that they will have like any other country. Forward operating post to facilitate the interdiction of criminal activity. No military threat. We are not preparing against the eventuality of a military threat. We are preparing to deal with criminals who come into the country and who can do harm to our country as well as to our neighboring country."

Daniel Ortiz
"Will we move forward as though they had not voiced any problems with....?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs - Belize
"We will move forward and we will build the base."

Daniel Ortiz
"When sir?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs - Belize
"As soon as it is convenient to us."

Reporter
"Sir, what about access to Sarstoon Island that was an issue..?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"You can go to the Sarstoon Island anytime you want. My understanding is that you could have gone there anytime you want."

Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, but you were discouraging civilians from doing that a few months ago."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"No. Get me carefully. You see there are certain areas in Belize City that I encourage my people not to walk, because you could get stray bullets. You can walk in you want, but prudence dictate that I will not walk there and I won't encourage you to walk there. That was all that I was saying to the people down south."

Daniel Ortiz
"The NTUCB, the VIP - those are two of the main groups which have decided to speak out against the way you frame the discussion on ICJ in terms of this context on this forward operating base. They say that you may have mis-spoken that the suggestion you give is that Belize has already given its go ahead to ICJ without the referendum. Have you so taken notice of that?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"It's obvious that although you are in the media you don't listen to the media. I explain that very to my friend from Channel 5, who is right there with you. He would have told you that the written protocol requires that we get the referendum from the people. But if you dint want to even read. The difficulties - you see we don't read and we don't listen to the radio."

So, while the press conference had an open adversarial tone to it from both sides, outside, members of the grassroots activist organization, COLA, assembled for an impromptu protest. They told the media that they were displeased with the discussion which had ended only 15 minutes earlier:

Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"It appears to me that the only smart one dealing with this situation is Minister Elrington and everybody else seems to be dumb, because he has downgraded Patrick Rogers. He has downgraded every person like Moses Sulph, everybody who seems to oppose going to the ICJ - is just not smart enough if you listen to the comments of Foreign Minister."

Moses Sulph, COLA
"The Foreign Minister, every statement he made, somehow seems like he is the foreign minister of Guatemala. Somehow this is the perception that the people around me get, that the people in the streets get - that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Foreign Affairs Minister for Guatemala, because he keeps defending the position of Guatemala."

The diplomats had an official luncheon planned for right after the press conference.

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