Is BTV to Blame for Heightened Tension in Sarstoon?

The conference held by Foreign Minister Elrington was delayed because the Belizean delegation spent much of the afternoon briefing Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Opposition Leader John Briceño. But we can tell you that the Belize Territorial Volunteers was in the spotlight for much of it. Every area of government has maintained that the cause of any aggression in the Sarstoon can be put squarely on the shoulders of the civilians who periodically travel to the Sarstoon to assert sovereignty – something they say the government has failed to do. The position remained the same today.

Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“I am on record as saying that as far as I am aware, personally we never had these problems until the territorial volunteers started going there. The first time this thing got out of hand, the group went down down…captain did not know what he was doing; strayed over the Guatemalan side and then strayed back into Belizean waters. But there was no real hostility; I think they said they dealt with them with a view to prevent them from drowning because of the overloading of the boat. But the subsequent incidents were the first time that I could recall in modern times that I saw Guatemalan gunboats out there waiting for people. I had never seen that before. So I indicated to the reporter that I am not aware of the report that he is talking about. But from my own personal knowledge, I don’t think at any time I saw the Guatemalan boats out there like when the last time they heard that Wil Maheia was going there. That’s my knowledge.”

Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington

Reporter

“Sir I have a saying that says that no one person holds the repository of information regarding any issue. The question was, is there a disconnect? For example if the B.D.F. would hear that to your personal knowledge or to the prime minister’s personal knowledge, there has been no such incident, yet the B.D.F. sits on a report that has close to ten different incidents. Is there a disconnect, was the question, between the B.D.F. having the information and yourself as the foreign minister or the prime minister not having the information? So you are making personal recollections that there have been no such incidents, but the B.D.F. sits on reports that show there are repeated incidents. The question is, is there a disconnect in information?”

Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington

“If you have ten incidents in sixteen years by people who go up a river every day…ten incidents in sixteen years and none of it fatal, neon of it…that’s remarkable. That’s absolutely remarkable. But let me read what the Guatemala has said on the same issue—my C.E.O. has drawn it to my attention—and I’ll read it for you. This is Guatemala’s position: it is worthy to note that if the positions maintained by both governments are different, the good level of understanding reached by both military authorities have prevented incidents in the areas from occurring. The inconveniences that have recently taken place are due to the irresponsible stands taken by Belizean civilians who purport to resolve the territorial, insular and maritime differendum through provocation.”