Wilfred Elrington Finds Comfort among Former Foreign Affairs Ministers
Eamon Courtenay
The I.C.J. remains a hot-button issue. On Wednesday, the only ex-Foreign Affairs Minister who did not sign the I.C.J. Declaration was Senator Eamon Courtenay. That’s because he chose not to be part of what he described as a “circus.” According to Courtenay, former Prime Minister Said Musa had emailed him in October 2018, requesting him to join the other former foreign ministers with the aim to correct misinformation regarding the territorial dispute and the I.C.J. Courtenay denied the request outright. Besides believing that the event was nothing more than a political stunt, Courtenay presented a list of issues that he thought should be resolved before the referendum. He also spoke of an alternative to the I.C.J.: to agree with Guatemala to suspend all negotiations relating to the claim for twenty-five years and in the meantime, foster bilateral relations. According to Minister Wilfred Elrington, Courtenay did not always have that view.
Wilfred Elrington
Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“I will say that that event was one of the most inspiring events in my lifetime. I thought it was a tremendous show of maturity but also a clear indication of the gravity of the situation which faces us and the importance of ensuring that we do not do the wrong thing.”
Hipolito Novelo
“You described the event as inspiring but Eamon Courtenay describes it as a circus.”
Wilfred Elrington
“Yes, but his view and mine are always on a different spectrum; he is at one end and I am on the other end. But you will notice that all the other very senior and eminent past Foreign Ministers, attorneys at law and the like were on my corner on this occasion. They thought the way I think. So that is very comforting.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Eamon Courtenay mentioned that for him the alternative would be t o leave e dispute aside for twenty five more years, a deep freeze scenario. What’s your take on that?”
Wilfred Elrington
“Well I am a Methodist. I like to go to the Methodist church and I have on record a speech given by Eamon Courtenay in the Methodist church in which he said words to this effect ‘If Belizeans want to solve this problem, you have to go to the I.C.J. That’s the only place that it can be solved. If you don’t to solve it, don’t go to the I.C.J. But if you want to solve that is the thing to do.” I can provide you with that information if you don’t have it.”
