Washington talks head into the night
“Painstakingly detailed” is how one participant described today’s negotiating sessions in Washington D.C.; so much so that at newstime the Belize and Guatemala delegations were locked behind closed doors trying to tie up the loose ends of a set of recommendations that will hopefully move the process one step closer to an eventual solution. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has just gotten off the phone with News Director Stewart Krohn and files the following report from OAS headquarters.
Janelle Chanona
“Going into the second day of talks, Facilitator Sir Shridath Ramphal made it clear that today ‘s meeting was going to be about the issue of the border as oppose to the incidents along the border. According to him, negotiations have been successful even though no agreement has been signed because in their estimation an air of stability and tranquility prevails along the border. However Belize has constantly reiterated that during these talks it will not give up anything and given Guatemala’s hard line tactics as well despite cooperative efforts the rule to a permanent solution seems lengthy. But Sir Shridath said this is the reality of negotiations and they are prepared to go forward.”
Sir Shridath Ramphal, Facilitator, Belize
“We’ve got to take those starting positions, as starting positions and develop out of them a consensus. It’s part of the job as negotiators too to place before the parties at all times the big picture, and the big picture for example to me in terms of Belize is the long future of Belize. Belizeans of today but Belizeans of tomorrow, the world in which they are going to live must be a world of stability, it mustn’t be a world in which they are constantly worried about what is going to happen on the border tomorrow.”
Janelle Chanona
“Both delegations are currently reviewing the recommendations of the facilitators, but as Sir Shridath maintains ultimately it will be up to the two countries to reach an agreement.”
Sir Shridath Ramphal
“We have never thought that our role was to bring down a package of proposals as the word from heaven and place them before the parties, but to develop proposals in consultations with the parties. At every stage gauge things, what will the traffic bear, what are the right principles to pursue, what will be acceptable.”
Janelle Chanona
“Both sides have pledged to handle the matter expeditiously, but as one can understand they are constantly fine tuning and reworking proposals, explaining why a final document has yet to be presented.”
Stewart Krohn
“Janelle, it is well into the night in Washington, both delegations are talking along with the facilitators in plenary sessions. What actually is going on in those meetings?”
Janelle Chanona
“Both delegations have been meeting independently with their assigned facilitators for most of today, they have just gone into a plenary meeting with both delegations, the OAS Secretary General and the two facilitators. They are not expected to be in this meeting much longer, but they are making sure that both delegations are absolutely sure that what they are signing to is what they have agree to as countries.”
Stewart Krohn
“I know the people on both sides have really not been at liberty to give details as to what the facilitators report contains, but what kind of drift have you been getting from your brief meetings with delegates from both sides?”
Janelle Chanona
“Well, the Guatemalan delegation, the head of the Guatemalan delegation, Minister Orellana, has been declining to be interviewed by any member of the Belizean press, because he doesn’t want to do anything until something has been agreed to. As far as the vibe coming out of the Belize delegation is that things are going according to plan, it may seem like things are taking a long time, but this is the pace of such a negotiation and Sir Shridath was telling me earlier today that this isn’t very long at all, some of these negotiations take many years. According to both delegations this will be a stepping stone, but whether anything will be resolved quickly has yet to be determine.”
Stewart Krohn
“Can you get a feel for whether the bulk of the facilitators report will deal with practical matters along the border or will it contain at least an outline for a long term solution to the dispute, to the Guatemalan claim?”
Janelle Chanona
“The facilitators are in the process of presenting proposals that will take this conflict into a final resolution stage, how detailed it will get is up to both delegations at this point. Sir Shridath this morning told me that the meetings yesterday discussed the ancillary matters, the substances matters and today it was the substance of the issue. So how detailed the recommendations will get is uncertain at this point.”
Stewart Krohn
“Janelle, thank you very much and we will anxiously await your return and full report tomorrow, thank you.”
Members of the Belize delegation will return home tomorrow and we will have their comments along with reaction from the facilitators and Guatemalan negotiators on tomorrow night’s newscast.
