7 News Belize

Hon. Elrington Says He was Misquoted On Invasion Line
posted (December 20, 2018)
One week ago, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington caught us all off guard when he said it was a possibility that Guatemala could invade Belize - if we vote no to the ICJ.

Earlier this week when we asked Elrington's former colleague Carlos Raul Morales about it, he was very surprised and dismissed the possibility out of hand.

Well, today Elrington responded to Morales's shock. He blamed the media for twisting his words. For context we first air Raul Morales's reaction:...

Marleni Cuellar, Reporter
"In a recent interview he has said that there is a risk that Guatemala may invade Belize if we vote no."

Carlos Raul Morales, Former Foreign Minister, Guatemala
"Really."

Marleni Cuellar
"What are your thoughts on the possibility of this?"

Carlos Raul Morales
"Well you now that Mr. Elrington is a very good friend of mine, I hope to say hello to him right now at the end of the year in Belize. I didn't know that and to be honest I don't think he said that because probably it is out of context."

Marleni Cuellar
"He did."

Reporter
"He said exactly that."

Carlos Raul Morales
"Guatemala isn't going to invade as a Guatemalan I can assure that. We have a lot of problems in Guatemala; poverty, malnutrition, we need to reconstruct a lot of thousands of kilometres of roads. We need to bring water to a lot of communities, we need to build houses for a lot of people, we have a lot of things to do in Guatemala and I can assure that to invade Belize is not in our list of things we need to do."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Carlos Raul Morales, who is running for vice president has said very plainly and these are his words: "Guatemala isn't going to invade, as a Guatemalan, I can assure that. We have a lot of problems in Guatemala." He lists the problems. So he is saying that "I can assure to invade Belize is not in the list of things that we need to do.""

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Carlos Raul, I am saying that anything and everything is possible. That's my opinion. Carlos Raul is expressing his opinion. That is his opinion. I am not the government and state of Belize. He is not the government and state of Guatemala. But we are all free to have opinions on these matters of national importance and you are to express them."

Reporter
"He was surprised at your comment."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"No. I heard his response. He was surprised at the way you formulated it and it is not correct. You can adduce no evidence of substantiate the question that Marleni put to him. None. Because none exist and that's what I am saying. In the words of President Trump, he will say its Fake News you are propagating. I am not going to go as far as Mr. Trump."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"But you have said there is a risk. If anything can happen, it's a risk."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"There is always a risk in life. Jules, you walk outside, you could get knockdown. It's a risk."

"What was the question that she puts to him?"

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"That in a recent interview, you said that there is a risk that Guatemala may invade."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"I didn't say any of that. I say anything can happen. I didn't say that."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"You said there is a proximity."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"That is very different from saying to the foreign minister that I said Guatemala will invade. In the absence of a context and he was quite right in his response. I heard him. He quite properly expressed doubt that I will say such a thing, because he knows I am a responsible person. I think you like to get the attention that it gives "misquote" "Misinformation." This is the classic case of disinformation and misinformation."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"With greatest respect sir, it's because you have a tendency and I am not saying this insultingly, for the Chicken Little behavior in so far as your public statements."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"That is entirely your opinion."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Sir, I am saying the sky is always falling because of your words."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"My fear threshold might be higher than others, because to me the danger could be more real that it is to some people. Some people seem to think that they are in no danger. Some people think that I am Chicken Little. Some people think that I am scaremongering. That is because of their experience. My experience make me behave the way I do, speak the way I do and act the way I do."

Reporter
"How would you respond to Prime Minister Dean Barrow's suggestive remarks, would be the equivalent of fear mongering and he discourages that kind of...?"

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"We live in what we called a Westminster system of government and in a Westminster system of government you have a thing called the cabinet government. The reason why you have cabinet government is because it is taught necessary desirable and helpful that you have different views and opinions on matters. People have different views. People have different opinions. The Prime Minister has his view. I have my own view."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"We know how these things are, what he said that I didn't hear what the minister said and I certainly don't want to hear - the comment on what he may or may not. That I feel strongly about, but there is no way that anybody should resort to that kind of fear mongering. I don't think its justified and it will backfire."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"You know what Carlos Raul said. He didn't believe that I said that and you can't bring evidence that I said that."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Sir, you said it's a possibility."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"All things are possible under the sun, Jules."

"Why don't you say that Mr. Elrington said there is a possibility? You don't say that."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Risk and possibility are almost synonymous. That Guatemala may invade."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"If that is what I said, that was not what was put to the Guatemalan foreign minister."

"Repeat what she said."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"The question was: "In a recent interview, Mr. Elrington said that there is a risk that Guatemala may invade Belize if we vote no.""

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"And I didn't say that."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"My question to you was: "invasion is a possibility?" You said that is always a possibility. Earlier in your interview you said, I don't discount anything."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"Right. There is always a possibility, but I did not say that there is a risk that Guatemala is going to invade Belize. I said there is a risk. You ask me and I said there is always a risk. You asked the question. Not me."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Allow me to use a humble analogy, in deed if I walk out on the street right now, I could be knock down. But its scaremongering to tell me Jules you will get knock down, or you might get knock down. There is no traffic on your street sir. I am an adult and I know how to handle myself in traffic. I'm saying, so to raise that when you are a responsible public official. It is remote in the extreme. The possibility is remote in the extreme."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"Let me go further: two years ago we had an unfortunate case of a young man who was killed and the Guatemala ordered troops along the border, 3,000."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"They fell back to the reflex."

Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"So what is scaremongering about that? That's facts. That is about 2 years ago. You forget that already?"

"When you look at what is happening on the Sarstoon, you are so adamant about getting a protocol and all of us want a protocol, is because we fear. We see the military and we fear what the consequences can be. That is behaving imminently sensible."

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