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The Organization of American States recently commissioned Great Belize Productions to conduct a series of interviews with residents of Benque Viejo and other neighboring communities in Guatemala. The aim is to shed light on the relationship between members of the respective communities, amid the existing border dispute. The result is an interesting mixture of responses […]
Did the Foreign Minister of Guatemala Carlos Raul Morales misspeak at a press conference at the Radisson on Tuesday? In his presentation, Morales told the media that there was an agreement not to build any other military bases. That response came when the media asked him about the Guatemalan’s objection to the construction of a […]
Written on July 30, 2015 | Posted in
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Since the beginning the week, the Organization of American States along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has organized a number of activities to draw attention to work of the O.A.S. in keeping peace along the Adjacency Zone. The flurry of diplomatic activity concluded with a forum at which visiting diplomats were all invited. You […]
But Guatemala is claiming fifty percent of the country, and border incidents such as the one involving the Forward Operating Base in the Sarstoon often inflame emotions on this side. At the forum, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington, said that there is need for the International Court of Justice to demarcate the borders […]
The comments made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs inside the Bliss prompted a protest outside. The forum, which aimed to promote peace, did not end quite peacefully for a group of protesters who were removed from the auditorium. At the heart of the discontent were two main issues, the role of the O.A.S. and […]
Shortly at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Belize and Guatemala will make presentations at a Culture for Peace forum organized by the Organization of American States. But this morning, Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales sat on the couch on Open Your Eyes to discuss bilateral issues as […]
Written on July 28, 2015 | Posted in
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But according to O.A.S. information, the incidents along the borders have been reduced by ninety percent. The Guatemalan Foreign Minister says any incidents that occur along the adjacency zone affect the bilateral relations of Belize and Guatemala. While he conceded that there have been pillaging in Belizean territory, due to poverty and the lack of […]
Written on July 28, 2015 | Posted in
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Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales and Ambassadors of the Group of Friends of Belize are in the country this week to promote a program entitled culture of peace as a confidence building measure. The initiative is being coordinated by the office of the Organization of American States which maintains a presence at the Adjacency […]
There were various pointed questions for Foreign Minister Morales today – ranging from the payment for the damage to our reef and the altercation at the Sarstoon to the alleged investigation into the murder of Danny Conorquie. But he says that today is not the time for a debate…all that will be for the International […]
Government’s official position is that the International Court of Justice is the only option left to Belize to solve the territorial dispute. Elrington reiterated that stance this morning, but he was also very careful to point out that there will be no ICJ without a mandate from the people, and that mandate can only come […]
Guatemala’s official position is the same as that of Belize. They want to go to a referendum, and if successful, on to the ICJ. Where that referendum is concerned though, there’s been a delay caused by months of civil unrest in Guatemala, which has pushed a referendum down on a list of critical priorities. Guatemalan, […]
The session, which likely would have gotten much more uncomfortable and intense for the officials of the O.A.S. and Guatemala, was cut short. But outside there was more waiting for them. A very small group of protesters including representation from COLA and the Vision Inspired by the People stood outside with placards to vent their […]
Part of the Culture of Peace Program, taking place this week, involves an exhibit with various forms of expression. The exhibit was installed today and will be launched on Tuesday at the Belisle Gallery at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts. The Organization of American States believes that the program will bring together communities […]
This coming Tuesday, a special forum will be held at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts by the Office of the Organization of American States and the Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministers of Belize and Guatemala, Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales, will address the forum on diplomatic issues and the culture of peace […]
Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington arrived back in country today after working visits in both Washington and Mexico. Just before he left last Thursday, in an exclusive interview with News Five, we asked him about the explosive revelation that Guatemala was opposing the construction of a Coast Guard Forward Operating Base on the mainland at […]
Written on July 22, 2015 | Posted in
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But with the construction of the F.O.B. on hold, the Vision Inspired by the People is joining the National Trade Union Congress of Belize in demanding that the coast guard proceed with the construction of the base near the mouth of the Sarstoon River. The call by both organizations is contrary to Guatemala’s position that […]
The bold move by the N.T.U.C.B., according to Rogers, is an about-face from the trade union’s flip-flop on the Petrocaribe issue. Patrick Rogers, Vision Inspired by the People “I must give big kudos before I turn over the mic to Brother Hubert, to the N.T.U.C.B. They put out that powerful statement establishing that, N.T.U.C.B. […]
Those comments by the Vision Inspired by the People have also been expressed, to a large extent and just as vocally, by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize and the People’s National Party, which today called for the immediate resignation of Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington. Those parties take huge offence, to put it mildly, […]
Written on July 22, 2015 | Posted in
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And then there has been speculation that there exists a secret document which envisions, in some form or fashion, both countries going to the ICJ without going to a referendum. Foreign Minister Elrington shot that down in a hurry, and went further to say that there will be no negotiation with Guatemala because G.O.B. is […]
Written on July 22, 2015 | Posted in
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During a working visit which culminated in Mexico, Foreign Minister Elrington also signed eight bilateral agreements with that country on issues including energy management, social security, intellectual property protection and promotion of patents, climate change research and consumer protection. Elrington says it is important that Belize work with both Guatemala and Mexico, especially where security […]
A delegation from the Belize Foreign Ministry headed by Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington was in Mexico City for the signing of eight bilateral agreements between both countries. Signing on behalf of Mexico was Elrington’s counterpart, Jose Antonio Meade. Among the agreements penned on Monday were on air transport, and the innocent passage of ships; cooperation […]
The N.T.U.C.B. has come out swinging at Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington, in response to comments he made during an exclusive interview with News Five late last week. In that interview Elrington spoke about both nations’ date with the ICJ, but the N.T.U.C.B. says he’s jumping the gun, since Belize hasn’t gotten the people’s permission to […]
Five Belizeans were detained in Guatemala in mid-June and reportedly experienced a horrible ordeal at the hands of the Guatemalans military. The group was hanging out at a restaurant in the village of Santa Cruz which is just across the border when they were told to leave. Among the group was Councilor Ashton McKenzie of […]
There is another recent arrest by Guatemalan authorities. On July eleventh, 2015, Benque Viejo businessman and former Mayor, Edgar Contreras was arrested in Guatemala for having a gun not registered in that country. Contreras, who is cousin of Minister Erwin Contreras, reportedly keeps a licensed firearm because of his job as a money changer. On […]
Former Permanent Representative of Belize to the Organization of American States, Nestor Mendez is spending his first day as the new Assistant Secretary General of the O.A.S. The ambassador will serve for a five-year period and is the only Belizean so far to assume that post in the hemispheric body. In his first statement as […]
