OPPOSITION SAYS FOREIGN MINISTER SHOULD APOLOGIZE TO BELIZEAN PUBLIC

January 06, 2010

Last December Belizean and Guatemalan officials were in Washington for a meeting called by the Organization of American States Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza. During the course of the meetings Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington referred to the Belize Guatemala border as “artificial”. Since then there has been public outcry to the comments.  For its part the opposition People’s United Party says Elrington should issue a public apology or give up his portfolio. Love News spoke to Deputy Party leader Mark Espat.

Mark Espat; PUP Deputy Party Leader

“Well let me say first of all that our party leader, the Hon. John Briceno, expressed right after the issue arose, his very grave and serious concern about that definition, that description by Mr. Elrington and our senior negotiator in the Guatemalan issue Senator Eamon Courtenay in his words has parted ways with the Foreign Minister when it comes to that description.  I wish to say on my own behalf that I believe enough time has elapsed where Mr. Elrington by now should have clarified in no certain terms that our border is absolutely real, that it is definable as it is defined in the constitution and that we will defend every square centimetre of that border.  Instead what I have heard from the Minister is really a splitting of hairs, more like an English teacher than our principal lawyer and Foreign Minister and so I believe that it is incumbent on the Minister to either apologize or to relinquish the portfolio of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and if he does not do so then I believe that the Prime Minister  ought to ensure that a standard is set where this issue of the Guatemalan unfounded claim, which is an existential threat to Belize, is treated with absolute respect and importance and where the question of our borders is absolutely sacred and sacrosanct.”

Espat said the response by our government to reports of encroachments by Guatemalans into Belizean territory leaves a lot to be desired.

Mark Espat; PUP Deputy Party Leader

“Well I am stunned really that so much time has passed without the government reacting to the reports to the footage that was seen of hundreds of acres being invaded literally by Guatemalan Xateros and farmers. This is the most open and public violation of our territorial integrity and I think it demands a response from the Belizean Government.  We all want a solution to this unfounded claim to have harmonious and peaceful relations with Guatemala but there are certain things that are non-negotiable and every square inch of our territory is non-negotiable including the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. I think what has raised the temperature as well is that just a few months ago the Foreign Minster blurted out that we have no choice, we either go to war with Guatemala or we go to the ICJ.  As you may know, I for one, I have rejected the CJ as an option for Belize because we only have to lose we have nothing to gain. We got our Independence with all our territory intact, we are recognized internationally and we have to ensure that we always negotiate from that point of strength. I don’t believe the choices facing Belize are war or the ICJ and I believe that the Government made a serious error in signing a compromi without bringing it to the House to the Senate for a vigorous debate that has locked us in to certain commitments and that agreement historic, as it is, is yet to be debated in our Parliament. How could the Minister sign such an agreement without first bringing it to the House of Representatives and the Senate. And so this artificial border outburst is just the latest in a series of actions that I think show that the Minister is insensitive at best and at worst unable to handle this issue that is of paramount importance to Belizeans.”

Prime Minister Dean Barrow has publicly said Elrington’s comments were unfortunate. 

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