And keeping it on Belize-Guatemala relations, we turn to a related subject that may seem unrelated.
It has to do with the Chagos islands which are way out in the Indian Ocean. It's a former British colony that used to be part of Mauritius but was detached in 1965 and is now home to a US airbase. The island is under British rule, but Mauritius claims sovereignty over the islands.
In June, The UN General Assembly voted by 94 countries to 15 that the matter should go to the ICJ. The British have objected, saying that it would "robustly defend" its position ahead of the ICJ's decision, which would not be legally binding.
So, but isn't this the same British Government that's been pressuring Belize to go to the ICJ? And then they don't want to go there themselves? We asked Belize's Ambassador to Guatemala about that:...
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"So you don't think it smacks of hypocrisy? That they advocate the ICJ for us and they do so advocate while refusing it for themselves - in a dispute with a smaller country?"
H.E. Alexis Rosado, BZ Ambassador to Guatemala
"Well again you are making a general commentary on power politics out there and I wouldn’t want to put it as part of our own wish and desire to resolve it ourselves 07:56
06:42 The decision to go to the ICJ is strictly a Belize - Guatemala decision. That we are expecting to get support from, especially the British, you are right in that respect, especially from them, but from other international partners, yes we expect to get that support. But I don’t know that we were ever pressured by anyone to go to court.
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