Belizean & Guatemalan armies meet to ease tensions

Tensions on the border with Guatemala may be easing in the future, as today, for the first time, military and police officers from the two countries met for official talks. Representatives from the Belize Defence Force and Guatemalan Armed Forces met this morning in Melchor de Mencos at ten and the talks lasted until mid afternoon. According to a Ministry of National Security release, the meeting centered on improving coordination of troop movements on both sides of the border in an effort to avoid accidents and improve action against criminal activity like smuggling and drug cultivation. Hostility between Belize and Guatemala peaked in February when three Belizean soldiers and one policeman were detained by Guatemalan troops on Belizean soil and held in a Guatemalan jail for nine days. The Belize delegation to today’s talks was headed by Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd Gillet.