O.A.S. will investigate border killings

Last week’s fatal shootings near the Guatemalan border are moving from the headlines to the negotiating table. Both governments have agreed to conduct a single investigation under the auspices of the Organization of American States. Belize and Guatemala have made representation to the Secretary General of the O.A.S., Dr. Cesar Gaviria, to designate a lead investigator. That appointee, O.A.S. Director in Nicaragua, Sergio Caramanga, will be joined by a representative of each country’s foreign ministry. The names of those appointees have yet to be released as well as when they will commence their inquiry. Ambassador James Murphy of the Belize Ministry of Foreign Affairs tells News 5 that the bi-lateral talks slated for mid-December between the two countries will continue as planned and it is hoped this latest border incident will not be a significant factor in the discussions. Three members of a Guatemalan family were killed by Belizean soldiers on November twenty-second after they allegedly attacked the patrol with machetes while on Belizean territory.