Fonseca: “We Will Continue to Have This Issue” Until ICJ Rules
“The reality is that we will continue to have this issue until we have a final judgment from the court.” That was Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca’s reminder to Belize today, after the standoff between the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) and 14 Guatemalan armed vessels on Thursday, September 10th.
“Around this time there’s a heavier presence of the Guatemalan military in the Sarstoon that is not usual,” Fonseca said.
The vessels blocked the BTV from reaching Sarstoon Island during their annual expedition. Despite the organised and intentional increase of Guatemalan presence on Thursday, Minister Fonseca found there were “good news.”
He said, “The good news is that at the end of the day, um, nobody was hurt. There were no incidents… The BDF and Coast Guard were able to have a nice, good, little flag-raising ceremony at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) and the BTV participated in that ceremony.”
Fonseca reiterated that engagement continues between the two countries, including direct talks between the heads of state, Prime Minister John Briceño and Guatemala’s president Bernardo Arévalo.
Fonseca Points to ICJ Case as Path to Resolving Guatemala Dispute
“Every time we have one of these incidents, we record it and we send an official diplomatic note recording our absolute objection to the behavior of the GAF,” Fonseca said.
He also addressed concerns over Guatemalan fishermen holding Belizean fishing licenses through permanent residency should have those licenses revoked over their involvement in Thursday’s incident. Fonseca said a full military report is expected shortly and will be reviewed by the National Security Council, which he confirmed does have the authority to revoke licenses if violations are confirmed.
“If they have violated any of our laws, we will certainly take action,” Fonseca stated.
The International Court of Justice has not yet set a date for oral hearings or a final ruling in the territorial dispute.