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Senator Shoman Exposes Strong Language of Guatemalan Diplomatic Note
posted (September 4, 2015)
We've reported plentifully on the diplomatic note that the government of Belize sent to Guatemala after their navy mad an incursion into the Belize side of the Sarstoon. But what did the Guatemalans have to say in response? Today in the Senate, senator Lisa Shoman reported what was in the diplomatic note - and the response:...

Hon. Lisa Shoman - The Opposition's Lead Senator
"That the nation of Belize must know that the government of Belize did write a protest note to Guatemala, but it has never told its citizens that Guatemala answered that protest note. It has never said to Belizeans that the Government of Belize's diplomatic note to Guatemala called the BTV expedition the visit of a few unarmed Belizean civilians and said that it was out of prudence and restraint, and out of an abundance of caution, to avoid any possible confrontation or mishap, that the Government of Belize withheld its own armed forces from being in the vicinity of the activity. Now, you know, Mr. President, that this protest note really "whap" what happened and said, 'How dare you come into our internal water? You all came in here illegally.' But, you know what? That's not what it says. What it says is that, yes, the Guatemalan vessels rammed Belizean civilians and obstructed free navigation and entered illegally into Belizean waters, and that it re-affirms its position as to the Anglo-Guatemalan treaty, and that at such time as this thing is settled in the ICJ, that the Government of Belize will stick to the confidence building measures, and will not do anything that will cause incidents on the ground, and that it will agree to exercise caution, and restraint. It does not say, 'You all went there, to do wrong, illegally, and you better not do it again, or we will deal with you all diplomatically or otherwise.' Granted, that may not be precise diplomatic language, but certainly, we would have wanted to have seen the kind of language in this protest note that we received from the protest note back from Guatemala, where they basically said, 'We hear everything that you say in your note, we rejected it totally, and completely. We blame you for what happened because you are the one who allowed this organization that was organized, and this Senator Lisa Shoman to go. We blame you for that, and moreover, don't come and tell us anything about the Sarstoon, because, in precise diplomatic language, we do not recognize the existence of borders with Belize. That was Guatemala's response. We do not recognize the existence of borders with Belize. Mr. President, Guatemala tells us formally, in writing, in that protest note that, quote, "They are allowing us to go to Cadenas. They are providing us with escort, and we better be grateful for that, because that is their river, their island, their waters, and we enter at their sufferance. So, Mr. President, I have heard everything, with all due respect, to the Commandant of the Belize Defence Force, the Brigadier General. I have heard everything he had to say on television, but I can assure him, from where the Guatemalans sit, not only were they escorting, but they were doing so out of courtesy, and they made sure that they followed the Belizean BDF boat at a speed all the way into Belizean waters before withdrawing. And, they have said they will continue to do so in a spirit of goodwill and cooperation, which has been distorted by the Government of Belize, who has interpreted their cooperation as a non-existent act of sovereignty."

Shoman also disclosed the contents of a diplomatic note which was sent before the expedition went out into the Sarstoon. In that the government made it clear that she was going out but not in any official capacity as a Senator.

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