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Speaker of the House of Representatives Michael Peyrefitte, while attending the Eighteenth Extraordinary Meeting of FOPREL in Nicaragua, met with Mario Taracena Diaz-Sol. He is the Speaker of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala. That meeting resulted in the signing of an agreement between the member countries of FOPREL in the framework of strengthening […]
The Belize Council of Churches is weighing in on the Belize/Guatemala differendum and has issued a statement in support of a peaceful solution to the enduring territorial dispute. The position taken by the church is a bit overdue since other social partners, including the unions and the business community, have contributed to the ongoing public […]
Last weekend, Guatemalan Archbishop Oscar Julio Vian openly spoke out against the government of President Jimmy Morales for seeking to use the territorial claim as a smokescreen to divert attention away from issues that are plaguing Guatemala. It is a sentiment that is shared by others in that country. Nonetheless, the membership of the Belize […]
Written on May 20, 2016 | Posted in
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The church is somewhat late in joining this national conversation, but what is the impetus behind a need for it to weigh in on Belize and Guatemala? According to Bishop Phillip Wright, recent events within the Chiquibul Forest and along the Sarstoon River have prompted the council to formulate a position. That opinion also includes […]
The Asian community being an integral part of Belize’s social fabric, along with its involvement in the private sector, we asked a representative of the Belize Chinese Christian Mission to share the concerns of the community on the territorial dispute. Fred Hsu, Belize Chinese Christian Mission “The Asian community, we need more education on […]
Written on May 20, 2016 | Posted in
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There is support coming from the Commonwealth Ministerial Committee on the territorial integrity of Belize. After weeks of tension between Belize and Guatemala since the death of Julio Alvarado Ruano, the government has been seeking support from its allies. Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington met with the committee to discuss recent events happening […]
Written on May 18, 2016 | Posted in
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The 2016 Mesoamerican Reef Leadership Program officially made the call for applications today at a press conference at the Radisson. This year, the theme for the program is “Promoting Blue Economy Approach for Sustainable Development in the MAR countries.” The program is designed to promote conservation and protection efforts in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras […]
Written on May 17, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on MAR Leadership Program Calls for Applications
Over the weekend News Five was able to reach a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via phone. He told us that they had been able to verify with the O.A.S. that no military personnel from Guatemala were in that border area behind Spanish Lookout. Plett, however, says that he was there and he […]
Finally, talks between Belize and Guatemala are to take place all the way in Istanbul, Turkey. Government announced today that protocols for the Sarstoon will be discussed at the Istanbul meeting on Saturday between Foreign Ministers Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales and their respective delegations. The venue for the meeting has been determined following […]
Over the weekend, several photos of at least three events were posted on the official Twitter and Facebook accounts of the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Guatemalan military. The first set of photos shows the Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Raul Morales, along with the Guatemalan Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Williams Mansilla […]
A final award on the acquisition of BTL shares by the Government of Belize is yet to be issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration Tribunal based in the Netherlands. While that figure is yet to be calculated, it is expected that GOB will have to fork over a hefty sum to Dunkeld International and […]
Written on May 13, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PUP Leader Speaks on Half a Billion Arbitration Award
Government’s procrastination in settling the claim, according to Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay, has resulted in an exorbitant amount of interest to be paid outside of the principal cost of acquiring B.T.L. As we said the price per share is in the range of five dollars and sixty cents but the interest puts the total figure […]
Written on May 13, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Courtenay Says GOB Will Pay Millions in Interest
A video released on Tuesday here on News Five shows two vessels of the Guatemalan Armed Forces provoking the B.D.F. and blocking soldiers from entering the Sarstoon. It is not the first time that this has happened. The G.A.F. is now in control of the Sarstoon and pronouncements, at the highest level, of peace and […]
Since the discussions in Washington last week between the Foreign Ministers Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales, there have been no further talks about the deteriorating situation in the Sarstoon where the Guatemalan army is consistently harassing the B.D.F. In fact, while Morales and Elrington sat with the O.A.S. Secretary General, two G.A.F. vessels blocked the B.D.F. […]
While the Guatemalan military continues to outmanoeuvre the B.D.F. in the Sarstoon River, on the ground in Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales is facing huge protests. Today, thousands of indigenous people have blocked fourteen roads. The Guatemalan National Police say they are willing to use any method necessary to ensure law and order in the City. […]
As much as fifteen million U.S. dollars will be invested in climate change programs in Belize. The Japanese Government today launched the Japan Caribbean Climate Change Partnership Project which is intended to make Belize resilient to the impacts of the natural phenomenon. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. Duane Moody, Reporting Climate change is recognized […]
Written on May 11, 2016 | Posted in
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It mostly went under the radar, but Guatemala’s Ombudsman Jorge de León Duque, was on visit on Wednesday. According to online information, de Leon Duque met with his local counterpart, Ombudsman Lionel Arzu at the Office of the O.A.S. at the Adjacency Zone. As far as we can tell, the O.A.S. is yet to begin […]
Written on May 5, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Belizean and Guatemalan Ombudsmen Meet at Adjacency Zone
The government of Guatemala is incensed at comments made by Prime Minister Dean Barrow at a press conference held in Belmopan on Tuesday. So incensed that today Guatemala issued a fiery release which states that, “The Government of the Republic of Guatemala regrets and rejects the unfortunate statements made by the Prime Minister of Belize, […]
That very interesting and passionate release from Guatemala also took another turn, in between furious rant and commitment to peaceful resolution. It makes reference to the bi-lateral meeting between Belize and Guatemala held on Tuesday, stating that, “there was a meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries, in which this and other matters relevant […]
Written on May 4, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Was the Sarstoon Discussed in Washington?
And speaking about fishing, since the Coast Guard and Police are so diligently enforcing the laws in the Sarstoon and surrounds where Belizeans are concerned, will they do the same for Guatemalans who are breaking the law by not only fishing illegally, but also trespassing illegally on the Belizean side of the Sarstoon? You probably […]
Last Friday, the Government of Belize passed a most controversial law to prevent the Belize Territorial Volunteers from entering the Sarstoon, over which the Guatemalans are now in full control. We will have that story later, but today, the Prime Minister spoke for the first time of that law and other developments in the Sarstoon. […]
Written on May 3, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Bilateral Meeting between Belize and Guatemala in Washington
There are many issues on the table between Belize and Guatemala, including what the Prime Minister has termed a crisis averted. But even before that crisis following the Chiquibul incident, the Sarstoon remained a volatile point between countries. So what exactly will the Belizean delegation discuss when it sits across from Guatemala in Washington? […]
Written on May 3, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Barrow on Discussion Topics at Bilateral Meetings
With the Sarstoon under lock to Belizeans by both Guatemalan and Belizean law enforcement, all eyes are on the diplomatic channels being maneuvered. That hasn’t worked out so well to this point, but at least where government is concerned, hope springs eternal. But today, PM Barrow explained that it’s not really eternal at all – […]
Written on May 3, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on What’s the Next Step for Belizeans in the Sarstoon?
In one of his recent interviews condemning Belize, Guatemala’s Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales claims that he has an agreement with his counterpart, Wilfred Elrington, in which no Belizean would go to Sarstoon Island. That’s an extraordinary agreement to which we’ve certainly not been made privy. Prime Minister Barrow today told us that that’s because […]
Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, held a brief session with the media this afternoon where questions pertaining to her visit to Belize were fielded. Baroness Scotland is on her first visit to Belize which is also the first leg of an official tour of the Caribbean countries. During the press conference she […]
Written on April 29, 2016 | Posted in
People & Places,
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Comments Off on Commonwealth Secretary General Meets the Belizean Press
