…Says ICJ is the Only Option
Wilfred Elrington
There were various pointed questions for Foreign Minister Morales today – ranging from the payment for the damage to our reef and the altercation at the Sarstoon to the alleged investigation into the murder of Danny Conorquie. But he says that today is not the time for a debate…all that will be for the International Court of Justice to decide. Still the questions came.
Wilfred Elrington, Foreign Minister, Belize
“I will just deal with the first question because what you are suggesting to him has no basis in truth. No communication was sent to the Guatemalan government indicating that anybody would be doing anything on the Sarstoon Island. I am saying to you not so. I am saying that that is not so; none was sent. And he will not be able to answer that, but I can tell you that none was sent. I can tell you that. He can answer the other two.”
Carlos Raul Morales
Carlos Raul Morales, Foreign Minister, Guatemala
“Let me answer or if not it is going to be the same long question and we have a lunch with a group of friends. Basically we are not going to solve our referendum today in this place; this is why we are going to the ICJ. What I can assure you is that the spirit of Minister Elrington and my spirit is to conserve the peace, is to create the peace. We could have a big debate with you about the rights or no rights of Guatemala, but this is not our point. This is going to be solved by the ICJ. Today, what you have is the goodwill of both countries, of both ministers to avoid any kind of incidents. Why people insist to confront both countries? What you will win? More news that somebody dies on the island, in the caye as a result of the confrontation of both armies? You want it? No, nobody want it. We want peace. We don’t need another confrontation. There are enough wars in the world. We don’t need a war between Guatemala and Belize; we need peace and we need to be smart and this is why we are diplomats because our responsibility is to avoid crisis. There are people that they live from war. We don’t, we don’t. We are friends and we want to build the peace.”
