Tuesday is moment of truth in Guat claim
They asked for a thirty-day extension, but in the end they needed little more than half that time. Early next week the OAS sponsored facilitation process will culminate in the presentation of final proposals for the settlement of Guatemala’s centuries old claim to Belize. Today, News 5’s Stewart Krohn spoke by phone to Foreign Minister Assad Shoman. Shoman, in New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, explained how the scenario is expected to unfold.
Assad Shoman, Foreign Minister, Via Phone from New York
“From what I understand at the moment, this meeting will take place late on Monday night, sometime around 7 o’clock or so in the office of the Secretary General of the OAS. It will be very much of a private meeting kind of thing, just principals there and the facilitators and the Secretary General and his staff, Belize and Guatemala and possibly Honduras in the shape in of their foreign ministers. And then, as far as Belize is concerned, we have invited, and he has accepted the invitation, the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Don Luigi Enaudi, to travel back with us on Tuesday the seventeenth to get back to Belize, I guess, before midday. And then sometime in the afternoon, I think it’s around 3 o’clock, or that might be a little flexible, then there would be a press conference at which the Assistant Secretary General would make an announcement and the facilitator for Belize, that is Sir Shridath Ramphal, would announce what the proposals are. Then of course there would be an opportunity for questions and so on by the press.”
Stewart Krohn
“Then between Monday night when you would be receiving the proposals, and Tuesday afternoon when you would make then public in Belize and presumably at the same time in Guatemala…”
Assad Shoman
“Zippers across the lips of all, you see.”
Stewart Krohn
“Zippered, I see.”
Assad Shoman
“Yes, so that it can be announced officially in the country.”
Stewart Krohn
“So what you’re saying is that the public, let’s say through the media, will get their first hearing of the proposals at that very 3 o’clock meeting.”
Assad Shoman
“Yes sir.”
Stewart Krohn
“What would then follow, in terms of a mechanism for public debate, or public education on the subject?”
Assad Shoman
“Well that’s entirely open. I’m sure that the government will need to do something in the way of publishing or explanations and so on, and I guess the different organisation in the country will do their part. I believe that the National Advisory Commission will have a key role to play in this because it has always been envisaged that the Commission would play a role in explaining anything that needed to be explained to the public. But I’m sure other organisations will want to do the same, so it’s gonna be a very free and open period of debate and discussion with all the possible fora that people can imagine.”
Stewart Krohn
“Do you know how long Mr. Ramphal will make himself available in Belize?”
Assad Shoman
“I understand that he’ll be there at least until the twenty-first of September.”
Stewart Krohn
“Is there any significance minister, to the fact that it is Mr. Enaudi coming to Belize and presumably Mr. Gaviria going Guatemala?”
Assad Shoman
“None whatsoever. The thing is that I avoided saying that Mr. Gaviria is going to Guatemala because I’m not sure that that is what the Guatemalan government is arranging. The exact date when he would go there, I don’t know that they have agreed on that, you see. When we originally set up this whole concept, we assumed that both of them would be travelling on the same day. But I’m not sure that the Guatemalan government will choose to do it that way, so I avoided saying what would happen or not in Guatemala. That’s for the Guatemalan government to say really.”
Stewart Krohn
“At this moment, do you have a pretty clear idea of what the proposals entail?”
Assad Shoman
“I will have a very clear idea, and a very complete idea on Monday night. But then my lips will be seal until Sir Shridath makes the announcement on the seventeenth in Belize City.”
Stewart Krohn
“In your estimation, is the selling of this proposal going to be more difficult in Belize or in Guatemala?”
Assad Shoman
“I really cannot comment on that Stewart. I really do not know and I don’t think that even after this thing becomes public we will really know. The two countries are so different, the weight of this issue in each country is as you know, very different without saying what it might be. There are two very different situations, so it’s really impossible I think for anybody, even with full knowledge after Tuesday to even guess or know that question. I guess that will only be answered when they come to vote on referendum day.”
Stewart Krohn
“Speaking of referendum day, it was initially contemplated that there would be a sixty day period between the announcement of the proposals and the actual vote. Is this sixty day time period still the likely one?”
Assad Shoman
“No, the more likely is seventy-five days maximum. It could be that it would be within sixty-days, but I believe that the facilitators will allow, will recommend, that it could be up to seventy-five days.”
Stewart Krohn
“But we’re still talking about simultaneous voting.”
Assad Shoman
“Absolutely, Yes.”
Stewart Krohn
“Is there anything more minister? At this point the public is being asked to wait until Tuesday to hear what this historic announcement is going to entail. Between now and then, is there anything that you would like the Belizean public to keep in mind?”
Assad Shoman
“Keep you mind open, that’s all. Don’t try and prejudice yourself or others with speculation or guesses and so on. Let’s just wait, we’ve been waiting for so long, we just have a few days more to wait. Keep your mind open.”
Shoman, who has been dealing with the Guatemalan claim for most of his adult life, told News 5 that whatever the outcome of the current settlement process, he remains committed to a career of public service.
