Guatemala Officially Files Claim Against Belize at I.C.J.

Pedro Brolo

Guatemala’s submission is four thousand, eight hundred and thirteen pages long. In it, Guatemala is claiming all the rights inherited from Spain at the time of independence in 1821.  A release from the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry announces an impressive list on their team. Guatemala’s legal team was hired in June 2019 and is comprises of world-renowned international jurists, specialized in litigating before the I.C.J.  The team includes a venerable French jurist who has known the case for twenty years and former president of the United Nations International Law Commission Alain Pellet and Rodman Bundy who has more than thirty-five years of experience as a lawyer and defender in high profile public international law litigation. In 2013, he was recognized as the best litigation lawyer in France.  They are joined by Alina Mirón, Romanian-French lawyer, professor of International Law, expert in Maritime Law, Sir Michael Wood, considered one of the most prominent international lawyers, has litigated for many governments in cases before the I.C.J., the European Court of Human Rights and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and Argentine Marcelo Kohen, professor of International Law at the Institute for Higher International and Development Studies in Geneva. This international team is accompanied by advisers and a select group of highly qualified Guatemalan professionals made up of lawyers, historians, archivists, translators, diplomats and paleographers. Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo says that they are sure of the solidity of their arguments and await for the I.C.J. to confirm their rights.

Pedro Brolo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guatemala (Translated)

“As Minister of Foreign Affairs, I express our satisfaction at having reached the culmination of what constitutes a patriotic mission of the greatest importance. We have already taken the first step on a long road that we still have to travel. The people of Guatemala can be sure that the lawsuit claims all the rights inherited by Spain at the time of Independence in 1821. The rulings will be final and unappealable, but we are sure of the solidity of our arguments and we await the recognition of our rights. The legal team that represents our country in this case and that worked in the preparation of the lawsuit is made up of world-class international jurists specialized in litigating before the International Court of Justice. A large team of highly qualified Guatemalan professionals also participate, made up of lawyers, historians, archivists, translators, diplomats, and paleographers. In this way, the provisions of article 19 of the transitory provisions of the political constitution of the Republic of Guatemala and the mandate of the people manifested in the popular consultation on April 15, 2018, through which it was approved with overwhelming majority that the dispute was submitted to arbitration by the international court of justice.”