And while the Prime Minister is hoping that the regional big brothers of the USA and the OAS can prevail upon Guatemala for non-aggression in the Sarstoon - will the repeal of the Maritime Areas Act cause some friction with the Guats?
When it becomes law later this week - it will see Belize reclaiming its full 12 miles of territorial waters. It's a return to the position that prevailed before 1992 when Belize passed the Maritime Areas Act - as a good faith gesture during negotiations at the time. But now, all negotiations have ended - and, as you heard the Prime Minister say - Belize is now re-claiming its full territorial waters before filing its case at the ICJ.
Now, this was to be expected - but now that it is happening what will it mean on the ground, or, as the case may be, in the water, for Guatemalans? No one really knows, and the Prime Minister expressed moderate confidence about how it might be received:...
Reporter
"Do we foresee any friction with Guatemala now that we are reclaiming our full 12 miles of sea?"
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow- Prime Minister
"That is a good question. I don't know how much difference it will make, practically speaking. When we limited ourselves to 3 miles, they presumably then had passage over waters that might have been ours, depending on how, under the law of the sea convention, things would be divided up but which we were not actively…indeed we had agreed that this would not be a problem. I don't know that now- because there are rules, which I'm not too familiar with, that govern innocent passage and that sort of thing in any case. It is a fair question and I can't know the answer. A lot will depend on the Guatemalan's. But from our point of view, the intention is not to cause difficulties for the Guatemalan's. It is just to preserve our position. So that when the judges give their decision there can be no prejudice in consequence of the fact that we had not, in fact, gone back and extended to the full extent allowable to us under the international law. So, that is the objective. It is not to cause the Guatemalan's any trouble."
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