Belize Seeks OAS Investigation Into Guatemalan Military Aircraft Incursion

Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca updated the media today on Belize’s request for an investigation by the Organisation of American States (OAS) into the unauthorised entry of a Guatemalan military aircraft into Belizean airspace.  The Government says radar data confirmed that the aircraft entered Belize’s airspace without permission and remained for approximately one hour and ten minutes. Minister Fonseca spoke about the OAS intervention Belize is seeking through an investigation.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “When these things happen, we of course condemn them, we protest very strongly, we reach out and engage directly with the Guatemalan government. But we also engage with all of our friends and partners to make sure that they are briefed on what is happening. So we engage with the OAS for example in this case. We have activated the OAS. They are working now on a full inquiry into this latest incident with the GAF plane entering our airspace. They are going to do an investigation, an independent inquiry into that matter. But we also engage with CARICOM, we engage with SICA, we engage with the Commonwealth, all of our friends so that they understand what is taking place. And of course, we also bring it to the attention through our legal team, to the attention of the court so that they understand what is taking place. So we respond as a peaceful nation, we’re committed to peace and that’s the way we should respond in a very very professional principled way. That is how we resolve these issues.”

Fonseca also reiterated Belize’s desire for a final resolution of Guatemala’s territorial claim. He reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the legal process before the International Court of Justice, where Belize is seeking a peaceful and lasting settlement.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “We are very, very focused on the ICJ process. For us, that is the critical issue in our relationship. We as countries, we have determined that we are committed to resolving these issues peacefully through the judicial process, through the International Court of Justice. We are now very happy that the court has set a date for the oral hearings, so next year February we will get our day in court. And that is where our focus is in terms of this relationship. Obviously, it continues to be a challenging relationship. At the diplomatic level we have good relations. We have good relations between ourselves, our foreign ministry, the foreign ministry of Guatemala, Prime Minister Briceño, President Arevalo we have good communication between our countries at the diplomatic, at the leadership and diplomatic level. Where we are continuing to have very serious problems is at the military, at the military level, the Guatemalan Armed Forces continue, as we all know, to act absolutely without any consideration for the diplomatic relationship that we have and without consideration for the established measures that we have adopted between ourselves to ensure that we don’t have difficulties and challenges. So there’s still a lot of issues that we have to deal with on the ground. But that’s why we’re focused on the ICJ process, because we want a final, definitive, peaceful resolution to this matter so that we can then move forward with our established legal boundaries, borders in place, and move forward as two neighbours working together to advance the interests of our people.”

Belize maintains that the airspace incident must be addressed through the appropriate diplomatic channels as the territorial matter proceeds before the court.