OAS Hosts Belize-Guatemala Meeting at Adjacency Zone

With the Belize-Guatemala territorial dispute moving closer to a ruling at the International Court of Justice, international partners are keeping a close watch on developments along the Adjacency Zone. On Tuesday, representatives from the Organization of American States and the Group of Friends visited the area for a firsthand look at efforts to preserve peace, strengthen cooperation and keep dialogue open between both countries. Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca says the engagement allowed Belize and Guatemala to update their partners on the situation on the ground and the ongoing work to maintain stability as the historic case nears its conclusion.

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“Yesterday, I met at the adjacency zone in Benque at the office of the OAS. I met with the Secretary General of the OAS along with the Foreign Minister of Guatemala and what we call the Group of Friends, the ambassadors of the countries who are a group of friends of both Belize and Guatemala who support that office. And so we had a very constructive meeting about the road ahead. As you all know we’re hopeful that in the next eighteen months or two years we will have a final definitive resolution of this unfounded Guatemalan claim. It is before the courts. And so we wanted to make sure that we are ready, that the office of the OAS is prepared for the road ahead over the next two years and that they will be there to help us beyond the judgment. We will need help and support from our friends in the implementation of that judgment. So we wanted to start that discussion early and get ready for that day. So it was a very important meeting, a very productive meeting, a very positive meeting and again, very important for the Belizean people to know that once again both Belize and Guatemala reaffirmed our commitment to a peaceful resolution of this claim.”

 

Minister Fonseca says the Belize-Guatemala case at the International Court of Justice is expected to conclude within the next eighteen months. 

 

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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