Now depending on which of these two diplomats you talk to, there is a lot of finger pointing about why the Maritime Areas Act hasn’t been amended to strengthen Belize’s case. Elrington insists that the past PUP Foreign Ministers failed to do their duty from as far back as the 1990’s, and he is of the opinion that the intended purpose of Belize’s relaxation of its claim to 9 miles territorial waters never had the intended effect. He asserts that the amendment should have happened when the PUP were in office, and he questions Courtenay’s motives for agitating for it now.

Well, Courtenay is pointing fingers right back at him, saying that the formal acknowledgement that negotiations had failed came in December 2008. He insists that Elrington failed to do what he was supposed to at that time to protect Belize’s claim to those 9 miles of territorial seas it still hasn’t claimed.

We’ve put together each of their points and counter-points for you to decide who is right, and who is wrong:

Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Minister of Foreign Affairs

"In my view, any damage done to the Belize's claim, if any damage has been done to the Belize claim, in consequence of the Maritime Areas Act, that damage has already been done."

Hon Eamon Courtenay - PUP Senator

"No prejudice was done then. And the prejudice is being done now is failing to follow the legal advice that says once negotiations have failed, amend the law because if you go to the ICJ, you want to be claiming the maximum that you are entitled to claim."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington

"That prospect of a settlement failed from 1993-1994. You had all that time between then and now - how many years, 20 years, 30 years?"

Hon. Eamon Courtenay

"Whether Mr. Elrington likes it or not, whether Mr. Elrington is prepared to accept it or not, fact are stubborn, and fact are what they are. We would be acting in bad faith if we had left the law there for the purposes of negotiations, we're in the middle of negotiations, and we amend the law, and move that off the table. That was to be done immediately after December 2008, when we signed the Special Agreement. Those are the facts, and he can say what he wants. He can call me what he wants. Those are the facts. Facts are stubborn. Mr. Elrington, you are a liar."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington

"No, no, no, absolutely not! That's is in classic style misinformation and disinformation for which Mr. Courtenay is famous. Most people don't know. Most people don't understand him."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay

"Wilfred Elrington is the Foreign Minister of Belize. He's not a fool. He seeks to re-write history."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington

“But the truth is that that could have been dealt with immediately after the Guatemalans persisted in their claims. That is right after 1993-1994. So, it's no truth that it was not until 2007, and in 2007, when they agreed - you know, it was in 2007 that the proposal was made to have this matter dealt with at the ICJ, 2007. They were still in office.â€￾

Hon. Eamon Courtenay

"That is the responsibility of Wilfred Peter Elrington, and like everything else that he does, he has failed to do it. The man is an unmitigated disaster."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington

"When the court looks at the Belize case, they will look at all the details and the evidence, and they will look and say that well in 1993, you were prepared to limit your claim to 3 miles, when you were entitled to take 12. What is this saying? How are we to - if, in fact now, we were to take the position that we want to be - the Guatemalans could get some more, well you couldn't complain because in 1993, you agreed to limit your claim to 3 miles. That should never have been done."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay

"Once again, I would urge Mr. Elrington to read the legal opinions that are in the files of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have received legal opinions prior to the Maritime Areas Act - listen carefully - prior to the Maritime Areas Act, which provided the specific language that was to be used along with the appropriate declarations that were to be made, along with the appropriate filings in international organizations, in order to ensure that our position was preserved."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington

"But yes, it has to be made clear to the Guatemalans, and to the world, and the court that we are entitled to more than 3 miles, and that we will seek to obtain all we are entitled to. The question as to when that is to be done, according to the lawyers, we have time to do that. We have time. We have lots of time to be able to do that.â€￾