Panton Questions Government’s Guatemala Strategy After ‘First Lady’s’ Visit 

Belize’s response to territorial incidents involving Guatemala has largely followed the same diplomatic playbook: issue a formal diplomatic note, and seek an explanation. 

These notes are normally issued for incidents that occur at the Sarstoon during the annual flag-planting expedition carried out by the Belize Territorial Volunteers. 

But the entry of a Guatemalan military aircraft into Belizean airspace last Thursday has taken the dispute to a more serious level. Opposition Leader Tracy Panton called it “aggression and intimidation” to Belize just days after celebrating 45 years of independence. 

Belize’s Ministry of Defence labeled it as a violation of Belizean airspace. Meanwhile, Guatemala used its right to respond during the UN’s 81st General Assembly to deny the incident, stating, “This flight never happened,” and accusing Belize of using the forum to “spread misinformation.”

So, what happens when a diplomatic protest is no longer enough? 

“The truth of the matter is, Belize does not have the military fire power that our neighbour in Guatemala has. So, we have to use diplomacy,” Panton said. “But we must use it with clarity, with consistency and we need to ensure we remain true to the concerns of the Belizean people.” 

Panton then questioned whether the Briceño government’s diplomacy is consistent, stating, “You can’t say on one hand that you denounce the aggression of Guatemala and then on the other hand your wife is spending time with the first lady of Guatemala.”

Panton’s remarks join the growing public concern that the Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children, Rossana Briceño, attended a meeting of First Ladies and First Gentlemen hosted by Guatemala’s First Lady, Dr Lucrecia Peinado. 

In Monday’s interview, Prime Minister John Briceño confirmed that the Special Envoy “was representing Belize.”

Panton said, “Why would it be that the First Lady of Belize, who is a public figure, would accept an invitation  that was issued by the First Lady of Guatemala to an event in Guatemala on the heels of the Prime Minister going before the United Nations General Assembly and denouncing the aggression and intimidation of the Guatemalan military, but also civilian groups?”