Belize and Guatemala ink the compromis
The compromis has been signed. Just after ten this morning, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington, Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Haroldo Rodas, and OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza put their signatures on the bottom line of the special agreement in which both countries agree to go to the I.C.J. to settle Guatemala’s claim to Belizean territory. And it was all captured live by Channel Five. Open Your Eyes host William Neal and cameraman Chris Mangar travelled to Washington over the weekend to document the process. Coverage began early this morning with Neal reporting live from the U.S. capital for the breakfast show and continued with the signing ceremony. William Neal reports from Washington.
William Neal
“I am standing on the stairs of the O.A.S. building in Washington D.C. where representatives from Belize and Guatemala spent the morning working on a special historic moment, the signing of a compromise or special agreement… an agreement that many hope will be the beginning of the end of the age-long dispute between the two countries.”
Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“This marks a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to settle this aged dispute. Signing of this special agreement is a manifestation of a deep commitment on the part of the Government of Belize to put this claim behind us. We Belizeans have always maintained that Guatemalan claim in unjust and wrong but while having recognised Belize’s independence and the right of its people to self-domination, refused to acknowledge Belize’s territorial integrity and the inviolability of its border. We are not at that crossroad, having exhausted negotiation efforts, we are at that stage where we must contemplate submitting our case to legal scrutiny by the highest judicial order of the United Nations. Belize and Guatemala must first decide through a referendum whether they approve of this process. I have every confidence in my colleague, Minister Haroldo Rodas, when he assures me that his government likewise is also committed to this. We know that our people do not wish to live in hostility and resentment toward each other.”
Haroldo Rodas, Foreign Minister, Guatemala
“Both governments have accepted the recommendations of the secretary general and have now begun a process of preparation and discussions which ended in the signing of this special agreement in search for a final solution to the claim. It is historic because we are taking a decision to settle our dispute with Belize and we are beginning a process that independently of the results the people of both countries will be on the same page at the beginning of the twenty-first century.”
Wilfred Elrington
“It’s a matter of life and death for us in Belize, trying to get this to the I.C.J.; I personally believe that. All members of my government may not believe that but I can’t see us surviving as a viable nation without having had a definite pronouncement of our western border by the International Court of Justice. So I think it is necessary that we go to the I.C.J.”
After the ceremony, Neal got reaction from the P.U.P. representative on the negotiating team, Eamon Courtenay.
Eamon Courtenay
“We now intensify our consultation. We have the document, which we can show to members of the party so we will embark on the second phase of information and education where we literally go through the document and explain it in detail to our leadership and to our supporters and the party will be ready to take a decision whenever it is an appropriate time.”
William Neal
“The signing of the special agreement between the Belize and Guatemalan governments has been hailed as a great show of political will by both parties. However, the greatest challenge still lies ahead and that is to engage the public through a public education strategy that will not only have them voting in a referendum, but have them voting yes to take the case to the International Court of Justice for a final solution. Reporting live from Washington D.C., I am William Neal for News Five.”
