Newspaper Owner Harry Lawrence Responds to G.O.B.’s Position

As we mentioned earlier, the Reporter Editorial was written by newspaper owner Harry Lawrence. He received the letter from C.E.O. in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Sylvester this afternoon, and News Five managed to get a comment from him this evening via phone.

On the Phone: Harry Lawrence, Owner, Reporter Newspaper

“We will unhesitatingly cooperate with this request, to notify or inform the people of Belize of the true and legal situation. Now what is the true and legal situation? The true and legal situation is that the southern boundary of Belize is the midpoint of the river so anything on the north side of that midpoint belongs to Belize and anything south of that midpoint is for Guatemala. That is my interpretation of the 1859 Treaty. I am saying that if, and I am not saying this with any certain knowledge, but I am saying that if a portion of Sarstoon Island projects beyond midpoint, then Belize cannot claim that portion. Now this is not a legal position; it is an editorial piece. One of the paragraphs of the government release says that, “You will observe that the foregoing makes clear that the mid channel of the Sarstoon River is the southernmost boundary of Belize and the Sarstoon Island, which is situated completely to the north of the main navigable channel of the Sarstoon River is wholly Belizean territory.” No problem there man. everything north of the mid channel undoubtedly belongs to Belize. But if, and I am just saying if, certain portions of the Sarstoon is south of that line, then Belize cannot…”

Mike Rudon

“Sir if I could just interject…there is, the difference as I see it is that you are speaking about the middle of the river whereas the convention as it is read in article one and six, they are speaking about the midpoint of the main navigable channel. The main navigable channel of the Sarstoon is actually the southern channel of the Sarstoon, not the northern channel. In fact, when the B.D.F. has to do their changeover of shift, they actually go on the southern channel. And the convention speaks about the midpoint of the main navigable channel as oppose to the midpoint of the river itself. Could that be the difference in opinion there?”

On the Phone: Harry Lawrence

“That could well be. I need to reread this then because the south of the River Sarstoon, in the bay of Honduras and proceeding up to the mid channel thereof, then turning to the right continuing on a line drawn. It says precise words, proceeding up mid channel thereof. So, if the legal interpretation mid channel means the middle of the southern channel, then I will concede. But in my opinion, I don’t think it means that.”