More on the Guatemala Proposals

On Tuesday night, we brought you extensive coverage of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press conference in Belmopan. The issue on the table, of course, was the recent meeting with top diplomatic and military officials at O.A.S. headquarters to discuss rules of engagement in the Sarstoon. At that session, the Belize delegation presented eleven draft protocols for discussion. But Guatemala, although fully represented, didn’t come to the table with any draft proposals of their own. It’s an anomaly, especially when there appears to be agreement that the Sarstoon discussion is a critical priority for both countries. Is it perhaps a sign that Guatemala is not prepared to entertain a real framework which would see them giving up half of a river they claim is all theirs?

Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“What happened was that both ambassadors were tasked to together come up with proposals, but in order for us to come up with the proposals it was necessary for us to get input from different agencies, and I don’t think we actually were able to choreograph that in the manner we would have wanted it to be done so that explains why we came up with a draft and not the Guatemalans, but really and truly it should have been a joint draft that would have been worked on…certainly they should have had a draft themselves, but I think we had a problem certainly in terms of choreographing that process so as to enable them to come up with one.”

Wilfred Elrington

Reporter

“So it wasn’t a case where they declined to put anything together?”

Wilfred Elrington

“No, no, no, no no…that was certainly not the case. As a matter of fact what was very impressive in my view is that the brought a whole big delegation. There were a lot of them there. I think there were more of them there than us. And they came and they participated very freely. It was a very cordial relationship.”