Minister Saldivar Says CBMs Have Defused Tension

John Saldivar

On a previous occasion in the Sarstoon between the B.D.F. and the GAF the B.D.F. said that they had secured commitment from the GAF, to stand off but the SATIIM rangers on Tuesday had to seek permission to enter the Sarstoon. So what is the next move? Even though the confidence building measures do not extend to the Sarstoon where there is heightened tension, Minister Saldivar says that by and large the CBM’s have helped to defuse tensions.

John Saldivar, Minister of National Security

“Well I wouldn’t say that the confidence building measures haven’t worked. They have worked on many occasions, like I said; except for the recent upbeat in the Guatemalan approach especially in the Sarstoon. Otherwise from that, the confidence building measures have helped. We are still at peace; we are not at war and to that extent, it is still working. But there are hitches and we are trying to work out the hitches. And like I said, it has to be done diplomatically; it has to be done within the regional and international community mechanisms that are available.”

Reporter

“While you say we’re at peace and not at war, some people might say—especially the B.D.F. soldiers and the people living in those nearby communities—they feel like they are at war and they are threatened. How do you respond to that; that we are not at peace at all?”

John Saldivar

“Well I’ll have to refer to the incident especially involving the sergeant as violence. It is violence perpetrated by persons coming over the border to perpetrate these violence on our soldiers; it certainly cannot be termed as war.”