B.P.P. Hits Out at Jimmy Morales after U.N. Remarks

Jimmy Morales

On Thursday, we reported about Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales’ maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, where he spent about two minutes of a nineteen-minute speech addressing the forensic report on the death of Guatemalan minor Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano in April, essentially contradicting points raised in the report, and calling for another opinion. The speech has caught the attention of the Belize Progressive Party, who issued a stinging reply of their own in a press statement. We spoke with the party’s chairman, Paco Smith, via telephone this afternoon.

On the Phone: Paco Smith, Chairman, B.P.P.

“Fundamentally, the Belize Progressive Party found it necessary for us to put out a statement with regards to the comments made by the president of Guatemala during his address at the UN session yesterday. Insofar as we know, the O.A.S. conducted a forensic review of the situation involving the unfortunate death of the Guatemalan minor and it in effect exonerated our B.D.F.   Yet the picture that was cast by Mister Morales yesterday was very different from what we know the facts to be. And because of the lacklustre representation that Belize has had with regards to Guatemala’s aggression and unfounded claim towards Belize, we felt it necessary to put forth our position with regards to the need for our elected officials to demonstrate that they have Belize’s back with regards to this situation.”