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Ambassador Courtenay Was More Forthcoming On Bilateral Talks
posted (May 25, 2016)

We had a few more important questions for the Prime Minister on this topic, but he declined to entertain anymore and walked off. We did however meet Eamon Courtney at that same event, who had returned home early. 

He was a bit more candid in speaking with us about the bilateral talks at Istanbul. He attended the summit as a representative of the Leader of the Opposition and as a member the Belize delegation. Here is his take on the Istanbul discussions. 

Eamon Courtenay - Representative of the Leader of the Opposition
"First of all I think the most significant thing is that Belize and Guatemala have now agreed that it is necessary to have a protocol for the free navigation in the Sarstoon and the parties have agreed that they will start the negotiations very shortly of that protocol. As the Foreign Minister indicated during the course of the meeting the basis on which Belize will start is that we will have full sovereignty and territorial integrity over our side of the Sarstoon River as well as the Sarstoon Island; so that was the basis from which we will start. The second important thing is a sort of informal understanding from Guatemala that there will be free navigation even whilst we are negotiating so we do not expect that the Guatemalan naval forces and military are going to continue to stop Belizeans or other people from using the Sarstoon River."

Emanuel Pech
"When you say Sarstoon is it referring to only the northern channel or both channels as well?"

Eamon Courtenay - Representative of the Leader of the Opposition
"Well as you know the 1859 treaty defines what is our territorial waters and what is our territory in respect to the Sarstoon which is the low south of the Sarstoon Island and down the mid channel and what is on the north of it is ours. We will exercise our territorial rights and our sovereignty over that portion of it and we do not expect the Guatemalan naval forces to enter into those waters unless they have to. As I understand it there are some shallow parts where you would have to go during navigation but other than that we do not expect them to enter Belizean waters nor do we expect them to attempt to stop anyone from using the waters."

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