Statement on Belize-Guatemala Relations at the 37th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held in Georgetown, Guyana.
Belmopan, Belize. July 7, 2016. Foreign Minister of Belize, Hon. Wilfred Elrington lead a delegation at the 37th Summit of the Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held in Georgetown, Guyana from 4th to 6th July 2016.
At the conclusion of the 37th Summit the Heads of Government issued an official Communiqué covering a wide range of issues, including regional security, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), correspondent banking and the de-risking threat to the Region, strengthening CARICOM-Cuba relations, the border disputes between Guyana and Venezuela, and Belize and Guatemala, among others.
The Communiqué included a statement on the Belize-Guatemala border dispute, as well as a separate Statement in Attachment I to the Communiqué, that expressed strong support for Belize in relation to the Guatemalan claim, and reads as follows:
BELIZE-GUATEMALA RELATIONS
Heads of Government received an update on the most recent developments between Belize and Guatemala.
Heads of Government expressed their full support for the Government of Belize as it enters the process of dialogue and welcomed the decisions of the Government of Belize and Guatemala to engage in the design and development of a mechanism of cooperation for the Sarstoon River, which marks Belize’s southern boundary. They urged them to complete this at the earliest opportunity.
Heads of Government expressed support for the continuous and critical role of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in the process aimed at resolving the dispute arising from Guatemala’s claims and further calls on the international community to continue supporting the OAS office in the Adjacency Zone. The Conference of Heads of Government also supports the efforts of Belize and Guatemala to move deliberately to fully implement the special agreement of 2008 between Belize and Guatemala to submit Guatemala’s territorial, insular and maritime claims to the International Court of Justice.
The Heads of Government emphasised their unflinching support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of Belize.
The full text of the 37th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Communiqué is available on the CARICOM website http://caricom.org/
