Home  News Regional News Guatemala/Belize border dispute
|
Guatemala/Belize border dispute |
|
|
|
|
Monday, 18 August 2008 |
BELMOPAN – Belize is hoping to hold a referendum by the first quarter of next year as part of efforts to settle its longstanding border dispute with Guatemala, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington has said.
“We are just now at this point in time trying to settle on exactly what is the question we will be asking of the Belize people and exactly what is the question that we'll be asking of the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” Elrington said, adding “the hope is that they will be able to have the referendum by the first quarter of next year.”
Elrington said the referendum could only be held after the Belize and Guatemalan parliaments pass the necessary resolution giving approval for it.
"Once that is done then we are going to have a referendum for the people again in general, not only for their representatives but for the people in general to say whether or not we should proceed with the process."
"Those are two questions that have to be agreed upon first by the negotiators of both parties. It is only when the Belize team and the Guatemalan team together agree on those questions that we will be in a position to take the matter to our national assembly and to our referendum saying ‘these are the questions, do we go to the ICJ?’"
Elrington held talks with the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Jose Miguel Insulza who says he supports the efforts by Guatemala and Belize to settle their land dispute through the ICJ in The Hague.
|
|
|
|
