At the top of the newscast, we told you about the emergency meeting of the national security council to discuss contingencies for Sunday's trip to Sarstoon Island by the territorial volunteers. That release spoke about the routine harassment and intimidation from the Guatemalan military that the BDF has to endure when they patrol the Sarstoon. Well, National security minister John Saldivar has also weighed in with a facebook post that went up an hour ago. It says, quote, "Who is promoting this foolishness that we have not been asserting our sovereignty over the Sarstoon Island and River? …every week our Belize Defence Force patrols the Sarstoon River on the way to our permanent outpost up that same river called Cadenas." Saldivar adds, quote, "On many occasions when the BDF enter the Sarstoon they are confronted by the Guatemalan Navy who have made numerous attempts to stop the BDF from patrolling the river and proceeding to Cadenas. On every single occasion the BDF have asserted that they are in Belizean territory and on every occasion they have proceeded to carry out their mission. Each of these encounters have had and continue to have the potential for armed conflict, however the BDF has continued to assert our sovereignty over the area." And he concludes, dismissively, "This is not a job for adventurist men, women and children. This is dangerous work and all we are saying is leave this line of work to our security forces. The BDF has not, is not, and will never abandon its role of protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country." End quote.
And while government continues to urge all parties not to go on the expedition, a release from the national security council says, quote, "the NSC has put in place a contingency plan to try to deal with all possible consequences of the action of the Territorial Volunteers. This plan involves local positioning, outreach and coordination with key diplomatic partners and a central role for the OAS who will be in the vicinity of the Sarstoon Island in an observer/peace-keeping role even before the expedition arrives."
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