So what happens if there is a NO vote? Well according to Assad Shoman, there is no clear plan as to what steps will be taken. Shoman says he cannot predict what will happen, prompting backlash from Attorney Audrey Matura and Former Border Commissioner Lindsay Belisle. Assad Shoman, Citizens for the Defence of Sovereignty […]
One of the most repeated questions relating to Guatemala’s claim over Belize has to do with the historical role of England and future intervention. Some feel that Belize inherited the claim from England and as such, England and Guatemala should resolve the dispute between themselves. So today when Ambassador Assad Shoman was asked about it, […]
There are two recent legal opinions relating to the Guatemalan territorial dispute; one by international expert Stephen Vascannie, which has just been made public and the other is by attorneys Kareem Musa, Anthony Sylvester and Dickie Bradley, which looks at the Special Agreement of December eighth, 2008. The latter was released two weeks ago and […]
Turning to the legal opinion provided by Professor Stephen Vasciannie, as commissioned by the Bar Association. The international law professor at the University of the West Indies has put forward an expert view on the Belize/Guatemala Dispute, identifying both the strengths and weaknesses of the case, should it go to the I.C.J. for arbitration. The […]
Professor Vasciannie’s opinion also focuses on recent developments pertaining to the Sarstoon River and Sarstoon Island, arising from activities of the Guatemalan Armed Forces. While he says that the GAF is not recognizing the boundaries set out in Article One of the 1859 Treaty, they are in contravention of international law. Likewise, in speaking on […]
Billboards of well-known Belizeans, including national heroes Phillip Goldson and most recently George Price, have sprung up across the country as the I.C.J. awareness campaign continues to be rolled out by the Referendum Unit. In Belize City, a giant display of George Price overlooks Central American Boulevard near its intersection with North Creek. The use […]
Citizens for the Defense of Sovereignty is a newly formed organization headed by Ambassador Assad Shoman. The N.G.O. works closely with government in the referendum campaign and supports a YES vote. There have been questions being asked about its source of funding. Last week, the western P.U.P. caucus issued a release seeking government’s response to […]
Today, the U.S. Embassy in Belize released a four-minute video message called “The Truth about Venezuela.” Chargé d’Affaires Keith Gilges talks about what the U.S. sees as facts and fiction in the ongoing political unrest and economic turmoil in Venezuela. The future of this once oil-rich country hangs in the balance as food and medicine […]
A survey is being conducted simultaneously by the Referendum Unit, running parallel to the public awareness campaign. According to Ambassador Alexis Rosado, the poll serves to ensure the satisfaction of participants in the education process. Alexis Rosado, Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala “We have people going around the country, volunteers who have been getting feedback […]
The Belize Council of Churches has come out in favour of going to the International Court of Justice and is offering prayers for a settlement of the dispute. After carefully examining the evidence, and the pros and cons, the Council issued a statement saying that “a favourable vote on April tenth, 2019 to submit the […]
So while the churches are in the yes corner, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize says its membership is free to exercise a conscious vote. The N.T.U.C.B. has been holding discussions with its wider membership involving the other unions. Today, President Marvin Mora told News Five about why they took that position. With the […]
But when it comes to his personal decision, Mora says he leaning toward a no. He’s been acquainting himself with past rulings by The Hague on similar cases of territorial disputes. Here’s how he put it. Marvin Mora, President, N.T.U.C.B. “I have not been able to arrive at a decision. I have more leads […]
Next Tuesday at eight p.m., Channel Five will be launching “Mapping the Guatemalan Claim: a News Five Flashback.” The series will run through to the April tenth referendum and is part of our coverage of this historic event. As Belize prepares for the referendum, Channel Five is producing a limited season retrospective of our news […]
Former Prime Ministers of Caribbean community including Belize’s Said Musa have expressed concerns about maintaining the Caribbean as a peace zone. Musa along with Jamaica’s P.J. Patterson, Barbados’ Owen Arthur, Saint Lucia’s Kenny Anthony and Lester Bird former of Antigua and Barbuda are expressing ‘great disquiet about events surrounding the situation in Venezuela and the […]
The People’s United Party along with several other political and activist groups has been calling on the government to delay the April tenth I.C.J. referendum. There are numerous complaints from several quarters of the public about the ongoing I.C.J. education campaign. The view is that the campaign is being poorly executed, leaving many without the […]
Attorneys Anthony Sylvestre, Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, and Kareem Musa say the 2008 Special Agreement is invalid. The trio of lawyers published a thirty-eight-page Joint Legal Opinion that calls into question the legality of the Compromis. According to the lawyers, the Joint Legal Opinion sets out the legal bases why the Special Agreement is unlawful and […]
A thirty-eight page document presented as a Joint Legal Opinion on the legitimacy of the Special Agreement signed between Belize and Guatemala in 2008 has been put forward by a trio of venerable attorneys. Kareem Musa, Anthony Sylvestre and Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley have examined the validity of the Compromis through their legal lens and have […]
According to Senior Counsel Shoman, the 1859 Treaty serves as somewhat of a default setting and says that the argument in the Joint Legal Opinion is premature and flawed. Lisa Shoman, Attorney/Former Foreign Minister “One thing they have not considered is that Schedule One absolutely and completely references the 1859 Treaty at 1A. So […]
Despite its imminence, there are those who argue that the I.C.J. referendum is not binding and it’s merely a consultative process. One of the final cases heard before the Privy Council prior to Belize adopting the Caribbean Court of Justice as its final appellate jurisdiction, was the Vellos case where the idea of the binding […]
Ten years ago, on December eighth, 2008 the Foreign Ministers of Belize and Guatemala signed, at OAS headquarters, the Special Agreement between Guatemala and Belize to submit the territorial, insular and maritime claim of Guatemala to the International Court of Justice. Minister Wilfred Elrington signed on behalf of the country while the then Minister of […]
According to Attorney Anthony Sylvestre, since the Special Agreement commits Belize to hold a referendum with the intention to settle the dispute at the I.C.J. which will rule on Belize’s boundaries and borders, such agreement needs to two-thirds majority approval from the National Assembly. Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney “Until and unless the provisions or the […]
With fifty more days to go until the April tenth I.C.J. Referendum, government still has the opportunity to take the Special Agreement to the House. Kareem Musa, Attorney “The beauty of all of it is that April tenth 2019 is not a date set on stone. So the Prime Minister and the government need […]
They hail from nineteen countries around the world and on Monday seventy-six foreigners officially became Belizeans. A swearing-in ceremony was held at the George Price Centre for Peace and Development and it was the first for 2019. The new Belizeans were told that they are now afforded the rights of true Belizeans, including the right […]
So if you are wondering if any nationality certificate was issued to Guatemalan citizens, the short answer is no. According to the Director of the Nationality and Passport Department, Mario Arzu, the process of granting nationality to Guatemalans was halted in 2016. Mario Arzu, Director, Passport and Nationality Section “The applications for Guatemalan nationals, […]
Minister of National Security John Saldivar also weighed in on the I.C.J. referendum today. He says that he is for going to the I.C.J. and believes that it is the best way to solve the issue. When he was asked about the possibility of losing maritime waters based on other cases in the region, Saldivar […]
