Guatemalan Ambassador Summoned Over Sarstoon Incident

Belize is taking its protest over the latest Sarstoon confrontation directly to Guatemala and the international community. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Guatemalan ambassador and formally objected to what it calls an increased Guatemalan presence in Belizean waters. That presence reportedly includes civilian vessels operating alongside military gunboats. Belize has also alerted its international partners and the Organization of American States, signaling that government wants the incident documented and addressed beyond diplomatic exchanges between the two countries. But even as Belize steps up the pressure, officials insist diplomacy remains the way forward. Both countries, they say, are still committed to peacefully resolving the longstanding territorial dispute. Here’s Foreign Affairs CEO Oscar Arnold on Belize’s protest and what happens next.

 

Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

“I had summoned the Guatemalan ambassador to Belize to deliver the protest note and also to verbally discuss what we see or what we deem as a, as an increase of activity and as well as using civilians, which is very, was a grave concern for us. And so we discussed that and we delivered the protest note in very strong language to them. He accepted the note, but we also spoke about both countries continuing to try to find a peaceful solution. He assured me and I assured the government after that there has been no change in the stance and the position that the Guatemalan government has taken, that they too also want to see a peaceful resolution to this issue. And so that is the process. We would write a note that we would state specific items in the note that we are not pleased with and then we deliver that to their authorities. We sent it through not only the Guatemalan Embassy here in Belize but through our embassy in Guatemala as well to deliver to the foreign ministry. What we’ve done as well is that we’ve notified our friends in CARICOM, in the Commonwealth as well because we know that they are our biggest supporters, the Group of Friends as well. This week we are celebrating our diplomatic week in Belize, so all the ambassadors who are accredited to Belize who are resident, even ambassadors who are resident in Mexico, Salvador, other jurisdictions, but are accredited to Belize are here. And we will also have that discussion with them and give them a briefing on what transpired and our position.”

 

The Ministry says over a dozen Guatemalan military and civilian vessels were in the immediate vicinity of Sarstoon Island on September tenth.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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