General Jones also gave us an update on the progress with the much-delayed Sarstoon Protocol. The agreement is meant to ensure that Belizeans, both military and civilians, can enjoy the use of the Sarstoon River without fear of Guatemalan aggression. Jones says that while the signing of the protocol has hit a bump in the road, he is optimistic that it will pass sometime this year...
Brig. Gen. David Jones - Commander, BDF
"We were hopeful because we were in progress with regards to reaching that miles stone having that protocol signed in December. Unfortunately 2 months before that there was an incident with a young boy who was fatal wounded in the Chiquibul and the Guatemalans have stated a different stance and they wanted to hold back and wait on getting the protocol signed. We are still waiting for them to come to the table. We trust that they will do it soon. I believe there is gong it be talks either this month or early next month. Foreign affairs of Belizean and Guatemalan in discussions and a way forward with the issues that we have along the border and in particular what's happening along the Sarstoon. After those discussion I expect to hear when we sit down and really discuss what's happening in regards to signing that protocol. It is important that we sign that protocol for both countries. It will de-escalate the tension and it will have both countries understand that we need to respect each other, each other's sovereignty and the way forward so that we don't have tensions on the border. We haven't had it as I expected in December but I'm hopeful that very soon we will move forward again and try to see if we can achieve that milestone."
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