Foreign Affairs Delegation Travels to Guatemala

Moving now to Belize’s southern frontier, tensions on the Sarstoon River were high a couple weeks ago when a group of reporters accompanied by Belize Defense Force soldiers had an encounter with Guatemalan Armed Forces. As we reported, the GAF claimed the entire Sarstoon River as Guatemala’s territory and informed the group of Belizeans that permission is needed to traverse the river. Following the encounter, many Belizeans, including the Leader of the Opposition, called on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to issue a protest note to the president of Guatemala. There is also the issue of Guatemalan incursions, illegal logging and farming within Belize’s forest reserves. Well, Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca was in Guatemala on Monday, along with Chief Executive Officer, Amalia Mai. There they met with Guatemala’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Martinez. Based on a press release from the ministry, it appears that these issues were raised. But the ministry’s release summed up the results of that discussion in only one sentence. It says quote, “during their meeting, they reached a mutual agreement to foster cordial neighborly relations and maintain an open dialogue to effectively address challenges along the shared border”, unquote. There is no indication that the actions of the Guatemalan Armed Forces and Guatemalans within Belize’s forest reserves were strongly protested or that a commitment was made to put an end to these illegalities. We will continue to follow.