O.A.S. recommends taking Guatemalan claim to World Court

Although it has been hinted at for months, the Organization of American States has made it official. That is, with negotiations unable to resolve the Guatemalan claim to Belize, the O.A.S. Secretary General is recommending that the dispute be settled by the International Court of Justice. In a statement dated November thirteenth but not released until today, Prime Minister Said Musa noted that before making any decision on whether Belize should submit to such binding arbitration by the I.C.J. there would have to be “comprehensive consultations” to give the proposal “careful analysis and consideration.” That period of consultation would be followed by a national referendum in which voters would make the final decision on whether to let the Court decide our fate. The P.M.’s release goes on to say that any consultations on the matter will not begin until after national elections, thus removing the issue from the ongoing political debate. Decades ago the Guatemalan claim dominated Belizean politics but in recent years that acrimony has been replaced by a more realistic bipartisan consensus. The release also notes that the relocation of residents of Santa Rosa to land in Guatemala purchased by the O.A.S. is “proceeding” and will be completed in a “short time”. Santa Rosa is a village on the Belize side of the border in Toledo that was founded, occupied, and administered by Guatemalans. While other illegal settlements have been dismantled, the Santa Rosa situation has been allowed to fester, awaiting the cooperation of the O.A.S. in a relocation process that will allow the residents to establish a village on private land in Guatemalan territory.