With Guatemalans giving the nod to take the territorial claim to the I.C.J., does the result put added pressure on the Belizean government and populace to have the same? On this side of the border, residents were tuned in to coverage of the referendum. Today, a News Five team took to the streets of the […]
We have heard from Belizeans as to what they are thinking now that the results in Guatemala are a reality. But how, really, did we get here? It started ten years ago when the countries signed a special agreement in Washington, but there have been quite a few bumps in the road since. News Five’s […]
On Sunday, Guatemalans head to the polls to cast their vote in a referendum. It is part one of a process that could lead both Guatemala and Belize to settle a longstanding territorial dispute at the International Court of Justice. There was an amendment to the 2008 Special Agreement in 2015 which allowed Guatemala to […]
On the Belize side, questions have been raised about how the message about the validity of Guatemala’s claim is getting out. There appears to be a disconnect between the politicians on both sides of the border and their technocratic support team at the diplomatic level. But may that possibly result in a surprise either on […]
Seven point five million Guatemalans are eligible to vote in this Sunday’s historic referendum to be held in Guatemala. On the last leg of the campaign, President Jimmy Morales has been on the ground and on the airwaves campaigning for a yes vote to take the dispute to the International Court of Justice. Last week, […]
President Jimmy Morales from Guatemala has been making the media rounds in respect of the upcoming referendum which takes place this Sunday in Guatemala. Over the weekend, he was in the Peten area and on Monday night, he appeared on TV Azteca in a programme called Hechos with Ana Lucia Masariegos. The president was […]
The P.U.P. has reacted to a statement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington to this station on April fourth. Elrington said that he had been advised that according to Guatemala’s constitution, it must take any result of a case at the International Court of Justice to another referendum. Today, the P.U.P. said it […]
Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales has hit the road in the last lap of his country’s campaign for the I.C.J. before the April fifteenth referendum. On Sunday, he was in Petén, one of two Guatemalan provinces that directly border Belize. Morales had a message for Belizeans: in one breath, he said that Belize has a neighbor […]
As President Morales was touring the Peten area, the Belize Territorial Volunteers attempted to travel to the Sarstoon, where Belizeans now require permission from Guatemala to traverse. This weekend, the BTV hosted members of their allied political party, the Belize Progressive Party, for a strategic meeting in Punta Gorda Town. As part of that meeting, […]
Eight million dollars is to be budgeted supplementary for the upcoming I.C.J. awareness campaign, nearly all from international sources. But on the ground, Foreign Minister Elrington says it has been low-key ever since the launch in 2010 due to lack of continuing resources. Nonetheless, he says the key groups are being reached, and their feedback […]
Elrington concedes that even if the dispute is settled in the I.C.J., Belize and Guatemala will continue to have issues with border incursions. The difference, he said, will be the established boundaries which must be respected. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs “Historically, there have always been cases of migration taking place and countries […]
One of Belize’s staunchest friends in Central America since 1981 is formalizing ties in a number of important fields that will be beneficial to both countries. Today, the Ambassador of Panama to Belize and the Foreign Minister penned a cooperation agreement that will open up new opportunities for the public and private sectors. News Five’s […]
As you’ve heard, Foreign Affairs Minister Elrington says Panama has been supporting the territorial integrity of Government of Belize since 1981. Next Saturday, Guatemala will be holding its referendum on taking its territorial claim of Belize to the International Court of Justice. At the signing of today, Elrington noted that Panama is among the Group […]
Elrington says that the relationship between Belize and Panama got a further boost with the start of direct flights between both countries by COPA Airlines, which connects Belize to South America. According to the Foreign Minister, almost all South American countries have been granted visa waivers to enable smooth travel of their residents to this […]
On April fifteenth, a referendum is scheduled to take place in Guatemala on taking the territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice. But should Belize be worried about the legal challenge filed last Wednesday in Guatemala’s Civil Constitutional Court? The attorneys for Guatemalans Lionel Nájera and Héctor Quezada argue that the ratification of the […]
In December of 2016, Belize’s Senate, which has sole responsibility for ratification of treaties, protocols and other official documentation, ratified along party lines the 2008 Special Agreement and 2015 amendment. At that time it appeared that the country was nowhere close to a referendum after a joint date in 2015 was scrapped. So while Foreign […]
There was consternation in the Senate with news that only forty thousand dollars was in the recently passed Budget for the public education campaign for the referendum on settling the Guatemalan claim at the I.C.J. But Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington confirmed to News Five today that while forty-K was approved, government needs eight […]
So where will the funding come from? The Government aims to use a mix of local funds, contributions and donations, and funding from several identified international partners. These range from the usual suspects such as Taiwan to other quieter donors. And in the coming months, Foreign Minister Elrington says we should expect to see lots […]
According to Guatemalan newspaper El Periodico, a potential monkey wrench has been thrown into the plans for the April fifteenth referendum on taking the Belize-Guatemala claim to the International Court of Justice. Two Guatemalan men have filed a constitutional claim challenging the ratification by Congress of the December 2008 Special Agreement and its amendment in […]
As of eleven o’clock this morning, the Belize/Mexico border crossing up north had been blocked by Mexican protestors, impeding traffic to and from the neighboring country. News Five confirmed with Mexican officials in Belize that the blockade was staged by a group of persons known as contraband smugglers who were reacting to efforts by Mexican […]
A number of officers of various ranks within the Belize Police Department are barred from participating in law enforcement programs funded by the United States government. Contrary to reports made elsewhere in the media of a list of officers blacklisted by Homeland Security, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Elrington confirmed today that some cops have […]
It was reported some time ago that the U.S. had canceled the visas of officers of various ranks for their alleged involvement in illegal activities. So does the most recent ban also affect the visa status of the blacklisted officers and their ability to travel to the United States? Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Home […]
A recent expedition to the Sarstoon involving a team of reporters from Belize and Guatemala ended in a confrontation with members of the Guatemalan Armed Forces. The attempt to travel upriver with the Belize Territorial Volunteers was frustrated when journalists were aggressed by the opposing military. Earlier today, we asked Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington to […]
The Foreign Ministers of Belize and Guatemala were today at the western border for an official visit to the office of the Organization of American States, joined by the new special representative to the O.A.S.’ Secretary General, Washington Abdala. They took in special performances from neighboring children of the area after a bilateral meeting, a […]
Both Foreign Ministers were asked about the positions in both countries concerning taking the claim to the I.C.J. It has been suggested that older Guatemalans are more predisposed to supporting the claim due to indoctrination at the height of tension between the countries; Jovel Polanco spoke on that aspect. Elrington emphasized that the I.C.J. route […]
