7 News Belize

The Map And The Dividing Line In Negotiations
posted (December 19, 2017)
We also asked Foreign Minister Elrington about the outcome of Belize's protest note to Guatemala about the maps that they intend to use in their ICJ education campaign. You'll remember it as the one where Belize is included as a part of Guatemala, with the two countries separated with only a dotted line to represent Belize's western border.

Elrington told us that the new Guatemalan Foreign Minister is holding the line that they communicated in response. Here's how he explained Guatemala's justification for the map:

Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Minister of Foreign Affairs
"There was issues raised because Guatemala was including in their education campaign, and on their maps, they had Belize separated only by jagged lines, and we had protested that. They, of course, had protested a program which he had had, whereby we showed the BDF patrolling our borders. They don't like the use of the word borders - adjacency line. But, I told them that well, we have got to protest all these issues that made any suggestion that Belize is a part of Guatemala. And we know that they will protest as well, but so long as we do it peacefully, and in a rational way, that should not be a problem. In our protest note to them, they wrote back to say that, look the formulation, and the depicting of Belize in the map was really with a view to showing to their people that in fact, we have a dispute with Belize, and therefore, we have Belize separated by the jagged line. And, it's for that reason that we have got to go to court to resolve this dispute."

Daniel Ortiz
"Is it somewhat digestible that position they currently take?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
Well, this is what they say. You can't stop them from doing that. You can't stop them from saying that. You've got to take it at face value, and of course, you've got to maintain our own position too."

Elrington told us that the Guatemalans also brought it up that they do not like that the contents of these protest notes have been made public. He said that he committed that his ministry will do its best to stop that from happening going forward.

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