Referendum date postponed indefinitely

Breaking news out of Belmopan tonight is that the deadline to set a date for the simultaneous referendum to end the Guatemalan claim has been suspended… indefinitely. According to a government press release, the facilitators informed the Foreign Ministers of both countries that “…practical difficulties may make it unrealistic to adhere to the deadline for holding the referenda…we wish to invite the parties to work instead towards holding the national referenda as soon as mutually convenient. We emphasize, of course, the importance we continue to attach to the referenda being held as early as practicable.” Belize’s Foreign Minister Assad Shoman told News 5 tonight that Belize takes the decision in stride, as both countries have committed themselves to putting the issue in the hands of the people as soon as possible. Government had planned to table the bill to allow for the referendum at tomorrow’s sitting of the House of Representatives, but that resolution has now been put on hold until a firm date is set. The proposals package, presented in late September, had included the recommendation to hold a referendum in both countries on the same date within seventy-five days. A meeting between Foreign Ministers Assad Shoman and Gabriel Orellana, and facilitators Sir Shridath Ramphal and Paul Reichler, is scheduled for November fifth in Washington. While discussions at that meeting will include the issue of the referenda, as well as extending confidence building measures along the border, attempts will also be made to resolve the issue of a Guatemalan housing project that extends into Belizean territory near Benque Viejo. The details of a recently completed O.A.S. mission report on the subject have yet to be made public.