Guatemala Still Resists Sarstoon Protocol

The realization of the Sarstoon Protocol has been up in the air ever since the Guatemalan government suspended negotiations with Belize, following the death of Guatemalan minor Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano in the Chiquibul Forest. In the wake of that unfortunate incident, there has not been any significant developments made and there is no timeline on the horizon. Today, we spoke with Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala Alexis Rosado and we asked him for an update on those discussions. Ambassador Rosado says that while Belize is willing to engage, Guatemala remains resistant. But he also says that all is not lost.

Alexis Rosado

Alexis Rosado, Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala

“They have been resistant to engage on the Sarstoon protocol, but what we have also been talking about is to also look at ways to further developing cooperation. So, I won’t say that everything is lost, we need two to tango; that is what I generally say. Whereas we are pushing, they are resistant. What we are looking towards is to be able to have some kind of confidence building measures that will cover any area that the current confidence building measures do not cover. So, we are working on that and talks are continuing. I cannot say that official negotiations have started but we are, through our own silent, quiet way, moving the dialogue along. And so far it is positive, it’s promising. And there are so many things we need to get done. So, the agenda is pretty wide and broad for us to be able to improve relations generally.”