And while Wil Maheia is determined to head down the Sarstoon, the Guatemalans are just as determined to stop him.
In an interview with Canal Antigua on Tuesday the Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Morales assured the world that Maheia and the volunteers will be stopped if they attempt to go down the Sarstoon. While making his point he also reiterated the Guatemalan position that it is protocol for our BDF to ask for Guatemalan permission before entering the Sarstoon.
The political directorate and the military command have both said they never agreed to any such thing, but Morales held to the hardline. Here are his comments on the upcoming BTV excursion and what the Guatemalans believe to be the status quo of the Sarstoon River.
Carlos Morales - Guatemalan Foreign Minister
"Up to now Guatemala has not allowed civilians from Belize to go to the island. In fact a year ago we agreed with the Belizean Minister of Foreign Affairs that nobody lives on the island, what lives on the island are animals, birds, it is a natural resource. So what the agreement was that, to avoid any incident, the island will be left in peace, while we wait for the judgment of the ICJ. We already had a status quo of navigating the Sarstoon River. They have a military unit at Modesto Mendez. The status quo has been that every time they entered the river, they passed, asked us permission at our military base there, and then go right through, because we also understand that they need to supply their unit. This is what these Belizean NGO's- something called "Territorial"- want to change. They want to take over the caye but Guatemala has not allowed it. In fact they have another excursion planned for the 30th of April. We have already told the international community and we've already told the United States. This worries us because, again, what they are doing is provoking Guatemala. And once again the Guatemalan army will not allow them to reach the island."
Our Cameras will be there this weekend to capture the entire trip.
Email
Print