U.D.P Senator Mike Peyrefitte Rejects Bogota Treaty Accession

Michael Peyrefitte

U.D.P Senator, Mike Peyrefitte, who was in government when the referendum was held on whether Belize should go to the I.C.J. with Guatemala, roundly rejected Belize’s accession to the Bogota Treaty. He suggested that the government takes the issue to Belizeans and if necessary, hold another referendum on whether Belize should accede to the Bogota Treaty.

Michael Peyrefitte, U.D.P. Senator

“This issue affects our claim! This issue affects the matter we have before the I.C.J. as we speak for which there has been a memorial, there has been a counter-memorial. We anticipate a reply in December and then there’s a rejoinder by June of next year. We are in the middle of this game and you’re coming to us, telling us now that you want to involve a third player in the I.C.J. unfounded Guatemalan claim against Belize? And that Belize must take action, enter into a treaty and take action against a third country that has given no official indication that it is interested in interfering in this case because if they were going to do it, they would have done it already. Members of this Senate, do not vote to pass this motion. Let the Belizean people have their say as to whether or not we want to involve another country for which we have no quarrel with, for which we have excellent relationship with as the Minister of Foreign Affairs just said. So why would you pick a fight with Honduras when Honduras nuh di bother we? Not only that, Madam President. If you pick a fight with Honduras now and we force them into the I.C.J. claim, the unfounded one that Guatemala has, it will delay the process. Explain to the people that this has come up. And so the people can understand what they’re getting into because you pass this back to Bogota, you trigger Honduras, you know how much questions you will have? How many questions we will have? And if I may say just one tale out of school, Madam President, there have been discussions on this for months, you know, for months. We could have had a referendum already.”