N.T.U.C.B. holds forum on Belize/Guatemala dispute

The proposal to finally settle the Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute at the International Court of Justice (I.C.J.) sparked debate among Belizeans at home and abroad. And it was a major step for both countries when a compromis, or special agreement, was signed on December eighth, 2008, outlining the question to be asked in a simultaneous referendum for both nations. That move got the ball rolling and the next step was to educate the public on the I.C.J. process and the pending referendum. While the Belizean public education strategy has been negligible at best, the issue has not been swept under the rug completely. The National Trade Union Congress (N.T.U.C.B) has teamed up with the Advisory Council on the Guatemala Claim to re-ignite public debate with an information forum this Thursday night at the UWI auditorium starting at six p.m. News Five spoke to Javier Roberts, General Secretary of the N.T.U.C.B. about the forum and its objectives.

Javier Roberts, General Secretary, N.T.U.C.B.
“The purpose is mainly to educate our membership and the general public in regards to the issues surrounding the Guatemalan claim and then we have the pending referendum with regards to going to the I.C.J. so we decided to invite the A.C.G.C., the advisory council, to do a presentation. We will have Ambassador Martinez and Ambassador Gibson doing the presentation and it’s six o’clock this Thursday at the U.W.I. auditorium.”

Delahnie Bain
“Why did the N.T.U.C.B. feel that it was important to collaborate with the A.C.G.C. to pull this off?”

Javier Roberts
“Well, we believe that the public in general needs to be aware of all the facts surrounding the Guatemalan claim and the A.C.G.C., being the council advising on the claim, are the ones that have been gathering and compiling the information so we just invited them to do a presentation because we saw it important to have the public educated in that regard.”

Delahnie Bain
“Do you have any other plans to this in any other district, or is it just Belize City?”

Javier Roberts
“Well, initially we’re doing the city and then we’ll look at other locations where we could do it also. But the majority is in Belize City of our membership and stuff but the public also is invited.”

While all are invited to attend, the N.T.U.C.B extends a special invitation to students and young people. The forum will also feature a question and answer segment for additional information.