3 days ago
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The Guatemalan aircraft incident has raised a larger question: if tensions with Guatemala were to escalate, what support could Belize expect from its international partners? Foreign Affairs CEO Oscar Arnold addressed that question as the Government continued to pursue an explanation for the flight through diplomatic channels.
Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Coming back from New York, I believe that we have a broader security directorate that the national security directorate that the prime minister heads. And I believe that this issue will have to be raised at that level to see whether or not there is a continued and a sustained type of activity from our friends in Guatemala to see whether we then need to put additional safeguards in place. At the moment, we’re handling it at the diplomatic level. Our country gained independence because the architects internationalized the issues that we were having with the British at the time. And we came to the UN, we went to the non-aligned movement, and we made friends. We provided our problems so that other countries would take note and that they would side with Belize. And if that worked for us for independence, that is a system, that is a process that we will continue to work and that we will continue to rely on.”
For now, Belize’s response remains diplomatic. Defence officials have given the Government their preliminary findings on the flight, while the territorial dispute between Belize and Guatemala remains before the International Court of Justice.
English (US) ·