CARICOM reaffirms negotiating process

Belize was represented by Minster of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and National Emergency Management Godfrey Smith at the CARICOM Foreign Ministers meeting in Barbados last week. Items on the agenda included: developments in Haiti, the Caribbean’s Relationship with the United States, the Fourth United Kingdom-Caribbean Ministerial Forum, and border issues. At a previous meeting, the CARICOM heads designated a task force to galvanise CARICOM’s contribution to the U.N. Stabilization Force in Haiti. The progress of this committee was examined in detail last week and Belize submitted a candidate, Ornel Brooks, for consideration for the position of Security Coordinator of that task force.

In reviewing the agenda for the upcoming U.K.-Caribbean Forum in May, the CARICOM Foreign Ministers agreed that it will be an important opportunity to focus on trade and security. Belize was asked to lead the presentation on Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Crime and Violence and on border security at that meeting.

At the CARICOM meeting, Minister Smith gave an update on the ongoing negotiations towards resolving the Guatemalan claim to Belize. The Government Press Office reports that the CARICOM Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their support for Belize’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and for the mechanism and goals of the agreement signed between Belize and Guatemala at the Organization of American States on February seventh of last year, saying that it is, “[the] best possible route to a just, equitable, and permanent solution of this territorial dispute.” In related news, it was announced today that there will be a press conference on the Belize-Guatemala issue Wednesday morning at ten at the Radisson Fort George in Belize City.