Border census complete, we wait on facilitators

It was pushed out the headlines by last week’s floods, but just as the rains were beginning to drench the south and west, a team led by the Organisation of American States was completing a four day exercise to see just who is living in the one kilometre wide adjacency zone east of the Belize Guatemala border. In addition to aerial reconnaissance, ground visits were made to the villages of Jalacte, San Vicente, Arenal and Santa Rosa. That last community, while inhabiting Belizean soil, is populated by Guatemalans and identifies itself as a Guatemalan village. The investigating group, led by Christopher Hernandez Roy of the O.A.S., included Belizeans, Ambassador Fred Martinez, General Allan Usher and Bartolo Teul of the Toledo Maya Council. On the Guatemalan side, participants were Ambassador Efrain Aguilar, Carlos Morales and Carlos Avila. Facilitators Sir Shridath Ramphal and Paul Reichler reviewed the report today and will incorporate its findings into their recommendations for a final settlement of the Guatemalan claim to Belize. The date of that presentation has still not been set, but officials in Belize’s Foreign Ministry tell News 5 that the long anticipated event should take place sometime in July in Washington, D.C.