"the two sides have informally accepted a situation in which there will be untrammeled traffic for Belize's military and civilians along the Sarstoon...." that's what the Government announced on May 24th coming out of the Istanbul talks between Foreign Ministers Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales. To make it clear, "untrammeled" means without restriction, meaning Belizeans could move freely on our side of the Sarstoon.
Well, tonight we have documentary proof that the Guatemalans reject that interpretation and do not agree that Belizeans can freely traffic the Sarstoon.
Four days after that government of Belize press release, Guatemala's Embassy in Belize sent a Diplomatic Note rejecting that specific line from the Government press release. They say that the joint communique quote, "reflects all agreements reached" and we note that said nothing about Belizeans freely trafficking the Sarstoon.
The Note from the Guatemalan Embassy adds, that the only issue agreed to in Istanbul regarding the Sarstoon was that, quote, "the heads of both armed forces will have to define the procedures to be enacted in the river until the final mechanism is agreed."
As for the Sarstoon, the Note makes it clear, quote "Guatemala re-iterates that the river is an integral part of its territory," end quote. The letter stresses that while a mechanism for the Sarstoon was discussed, quote, "The Guatemalan Foreign Minister was very clear in stating that it is necessary to start a process in which several (Guatemalan) state institutions must be involved." End quote.
So they're talking about just starting a process which the Government of Belize said three weeks ago had already made a major informal breakthrough. So how could such divergent conclusions come out of the same meeting? That's what we asked Belize's Foreign Minister last week:
Jules Vasquez
"When the government of Belize sent out the second release after the Istanbul meeting, the second release speaking about the rescission of the SI and the untrammeled access to the Sarstoon. Two things happen; 1), examples ensuing thereafter have shown that there is not untrammeled access to the Sarstoon by Belizeans and 2), the Guatemalan foreign ministry was chafed, was upset that you all said such a thing when we agreed we will send out this very conservative joint statement and then the government of Belize goes ahead and says this thing which we know they reacted to in anger, in disappointment."
Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Yeah, but the Prime Minister as far as I knew articulated what was our understanding at the meeting in Istanbul."
Elrington and his Guatemalan counterpart Carlos Raul Morales are set to meet in Washington in a week.
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