Senate Ratifies Amendment to Maritime Areas Act
There was a Special Sitting of the Senate this morning in Belmopan, hard on the heels of a similar meeting of the House of Representatives on Monday to table and pass an amendment to the Maritime Areas Act. Upper parliament, as in the case of the House of Representatives, voted unanimously in favor of the alteration of the law and it is expected that the new changes will be assented to by Governor General Sir Colville Young by Thursday. The sequence of events post the May eighth I.C.J. referendum are requisite steps being taken by the Government of Belize prior to notifying the International Court of Justice of its position on taking the territorial dispute with Guatemala to the Hague for resolution. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has more.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The Senate met this morning in special session to ratify an amendment to the Maritime Areas Act which repeals the provisions of that law that had the declared purpose of providing a framework to seek a negotiated definitive agreement on territorial differences with the Republic of Guatemala. This means that Belize is now reclaiming its full twelve miles of sea as stipulated under international law. Rising to endorse the change in legislation was Senator Eamon Courtenay.
Eamon Courtenay
Eamon Courtenay, P.U.P. Senator
“We on this side, as you are aware, fully support the amendment that is now before us. As the Leader of Government Business has indicated, in 2017 we had attempted to introduce this bill into the Senate and for the reasons given at the time we were not successful. Mr. President, above all, this bill is consistent with the Belizean constitution and it is important, for more than one reason, for us to record on the record of the Senate that the first schedule to the Belize constitution actually defines the maritime areas of Belize. I say that because there should be no notion that there has been or will be a gap between 1992 when the Maritime Areas Act was passed and today. The maritime areas of Belize are set out in our constitution.”
In light of the approved changes, the Opposition is clamoring for a ramping up of military and civilian presence from the Ranguana to the mouth of the Sarstoon River, the twelve miles of sea which Belize is entitled to under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea, UNCLOS.
Eamon Courtenay
“What we on this side call for is a living of our sovereignty. When we make absolutely clear that our territorial sea goes to the median line, it requires all state apparatus, all state functionaries, the coast guard, the maritime wing of the Belize Defense Force, to the extent that it still exists, civil society, all Belizeans to act in a sovereign way, to operate as if that is ours and it has always been ours. And that will require increased resources to the coast guard and other, fisheries department and other areas in our government.”
This, however, raises serious concerns for Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, since the purpose of reclaiming the extent of the territorial sea is not to instigate conflict with Guatemala.
Michael Peyrefitte
Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General
“Since the referendum ‘yes’ vote, the government has not sat down and said, “Well, the struggle is over.” We continue to ensure that we do everything indeed to protect the territorial integrity of this country and if there is one diversion from Senator Courtenay’s passionate tough talk about defending the territory, we also have to remind ourselves that we want to live in peace and we’re a peaceful nation. Sure, we would defend our territory to the bitter end, but at the same time we are not going to engage in any behavior that would provoke any kind of animosity when we know that we have in, just a few years, the best possible chance to have Guatemala be forced to behave itself.”
Following the I.C.J. referendum, the Government of Belize is once again focused on discussions with Guatemala in an effort to agree on a set of rules that would govern access to the southernmost tributary which borders both countries. These regulations would collectively be referred to as the Sarstoon Protocol.
Michael Peyrefitte
“Nobody wants a confrontation in the Sarstoon. Nobody wants a confrontation anywhere and that is why we continue to work on the Sarstoon Protocol. We have not given up on that. We still believe that with the presence of SouthCom the other day and all other people coming in from the European Union and the U.S. trying to make sure that we solve this matter in the courts, we still hope to get Guatemala around a table and we still hope to have the two nations sign a Sarstoon Protocol.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
