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PUP Agrees to Bi-Partisan Committee on ICJ
posted (May 17, 2019)

And according to Briceno, the UDP government and the Opposition have already agreed to start work together in preparation for the ICJ. 

He said that the Prime Minister is proposing to put together a bipartisan committee of 4, which will work closely with Assad Shoman, who was named as Belize’s Agent at the International Court of Justice. He explained what this committee’s purpose will be, and who he is nominating to represent the PUP on the Committee:

Hon. John Briceno - Leader of Opposition
"Well, the Prime Minister has proposed a bipartisan committee of 4, where the government is appoint 2 members, as you all know the foreign minister is the chairman of the committee, along with the attorney general. I presented to the parliamentary caucus that I am nominating Eamon Courtenay to be our lead in that committee and also I'm asking Leslie Mendez, a young lawyer, to also be a part of it. It is important for us to start to get our younger generation involved in this intimately involved, so that they carry on - we're not going to be here forever. I have also spoken with Ambassador Shoman, we were to meet this morning but unfortunately I couldn't. I'll meet with him face to face when he comes back but he has assured me and he has met with Senator Courtenay and has assured me that this committee that as the co-agents, they are going to be working directly with this bipartisan committee, they are going to be reporting to them every step of the way. There's going to be complete transparency with the committee and accountability and the Prime Minister, also we have spoken a few times over the phone, has also assured me that he wants us to be able to work together on this issue every step of the way, to ensure that when there's the change of government that we expect shortly, that we will be able to continue the work that was already started."

Reporter
"For the avoidance of doubt, is the country now unified going forth to the ICJ?"

Hon. John Briceno
"As far as I'm concerned, yes, we have to. This is not a political issue, the people have decided that they want to go to the ICJ, and we have to do everything possible to put our best foot forward to ensure that we can defend every single square centimetre that rightfully belongs to Belize."

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