Last night, we brought you the Sarstoon Showdown on Saturday in which 5 Guatemalan navy vessels formed a blockade and prevented border Activist Wil Maheia from entering the Mouth of the Sarstoon.
Maheia says the Guatemalan military entered Belizean territorial waters, and enforced their control, which is a violation of International law. He's joined by members of his Belize Progressive Party, and from the Opposition, PUP in denouncing actions of the Guatemalans.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government aren't so quick to condemn Guatemala, and Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington told the press yesterday that the BDF report is that only 1 Guatemalan military vessel may have entered into Belizean territory.
Since there are no confidence building measures in the Sarstoon, there can be no official verification if the Guatemalan's actually incurred in Belizean waters. Elrington told us that Belize will be sending a diplomatic note of protest to the Government of Guatemalan.
But, today, the Foreign Minister did concede that there is a possibility that the Guatemalan river vessel did enter Belizean waters. He stresses that "if" - and that's a big "if" - the Guatemalan boat crossed over into the Belizean side of the river, that's an illegal action:
Reporter
"If you get definitive proof that they were in Belize territorial waters, what international laws would they have broken?"
Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Well you would not supposed to come. Certainly the military forces have no business entering into the space sovereign independent nations. That is normally regarded as an act of aggression. It's tantamount to initiation of hostile action and that is contrary to international law. Just like how you can't trespass into my yard. You breach civil law. But when you have that kind of thing, it is reserved by forceful diplomatic notes to try to get them not repeat it and then if it continues to be repeated then it has to be address in these multinational forum like the OAS and the UN. Where you discuss and debate it and work out a modus Vivendi whereby these things don't continue to happen."
Daniel Ortiz
"Can they claim right of innocent passage in this particular instance?"
Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"No. This is not a case of passage. This is a case of coming in. This is not a case that they are passing through, trying to get from one country to the next in the line - that innocent passage. There is no thought of that. The suggestion is that one of the smaller vessels may well have entered into Belizean waters although they have not been able to verify. But the bigger vessels have not. That is the information I have at this time. But even with respect to the smaller vessel. It has no business coming into our waters and therefore we have to protest that."
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