E.U. Ambassador Praise Work of O.A.S.  

We also heard from Marianne Van Steen, the Ambassador of the European Union to Belize. She explained why the E.U. continues to back the work of the O.A.S. financially. Ambassador Van Steen lauded the decision taken by both Belize and Guatemala to place the border dispute in the hands of the International Court of Justice. She noted that funds will aid the work of the O.A.S. for the next three years which will likely extend beyond the time the I.C.J. hands down it decision on the border dispute.

 

Marianne Van Steen, E.U. Ambassador to Belize

“Everytime I go back and I am explaing to my colleagues in my office and in Brussels that this is exactly the kind of project we should be supporting and we should continue to support because it is all about peace and conflict prevention and peace has always been at the core of the European Union. We have seen the important work that has been done by the mission here in the adjacency zone and the uncertainty of the border between Belize and Guatemala could indeed lead to tensions and that is exactly what we don’t want and why we are supporting this project. Let me express here again the E.U.’s appreciation of the decision taken by the two countries, by Guatemala by Belize to have agreed to ask the international Court of Justice to examine the matter to commit to its ruling once established and to have initiated under the guidance under the compliment of the O.A.S., a political diplomatic process of coming closer together, dialoguing, talking to each other whenever that appears necessary and useful. I very much hope this project is going to be the last one. We are very much expecting that the ICJ will issue its judgment within a year from now. I think that is more or less within our perspective and that will not end the work that has been done. We will continue here for another three years.”