Guatemalan talks extended to second day

Talks between Belizean and Guatemalan diplomats opened in Miami this morning and at newstime there was cautious optimism coming from the Belize side. Ambassador Assad Shoman, head of Belize’s negotiating team, told News 5 that today’s meetings had gone “encouragingly well” and that some understanding could be concluded when the talks continue on Wednesday. Most of the day was spent discussing the reports submitted by the two facilitators, Sir Shridath Ramphal and Paul Reichler, and this evening the negotiations broke into working groups to deal with specific questions concerning confidence building measures along the border. Sources close to the negotiations told News 5 that the OAS envoy, Assistant Secretary General Luigi Einaudi, and his team were particularly helpful in moving the talks forward. The Miami meetings were made necessary by Guatemala’s failure to live up to the agreement signed on November eighth of last year, which set out a procedure for dealing with illegal settlements along the border. In addition to Shoman the Belize delegation includes P.S. David Gibson, Ambassadors Lisa Shoman, Sal Figueroa and Moises Cal, former Ambassador Fred Martinez, Alan Usher and Lindsay Belisle. The Guatemala side is headed by Foreign Minister Gabriel Orellana and includes a vice-minister of foreign affairs, a vice-minister of defence and a host of old Belize hands, including Doctor Francisco Villagran Kramer.