Eleven member delegation prepares for talks at OAS

With enough negotiators to field a football team the Belize delegation has assembled in Washington, D.C. in advance of Tuesday’s meetings at the OAS. At newstime, a precise agenda had not yet been finalised, with both Belize and Guatemala putting forward their own proposals. Officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, prior to departing for Washington, offered no details of what to expect at the talks, other than that the two facilitators would be presenting their reports to the respective parties and Secretary General Cesar Gaviria. These reports, by Sir Shirdath Ramphal for Belize and Paul Reichler for Guatemala, have been carefully crafted in consultation with their respective clients and should offer no surprises. It is believed, however, that even at this late hour, efforts are being made to come up with some sort of breakthrough which would indicate forward movement in the negotiating process, which is due to conclude in August. Belize’s team, which caucused today in Washington, is led by Ambassador Assad Shoman and includes Ambassadors Fred Martinez, Eamon Courtenay, Lisa Shoman, Moises Cal, Stuart Leslie and Sal Figueroa as well as David Gibson, James Murphy, Alan Usher and Nestor Mendez. News Five’s Janelle Chanona arrives in the U.S. capital tonight and will be filing daily reports beginning on Tuesday.