Turning back now to the Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington. Today we also asked him about a comment made yesterday in the press that the government is not inclined to ask the CIJ for provisional measures to curb Guatemalan military aggression on the Sarstoon because such things are, quote, “run-of-the-mill.†Â
That raised a few eyebrows, but today he wouldn’t comment further on it - going instead for a John Lennon, “Imagine†approach:
Jules Vasquez
"Would you amply those remarks for us?"
Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Minister of Foreign Affairs
"I don't want to amply it because I am not the expert on that kind of things. What I'm saying to you is what I got second and third hand. I personally have not studied that area of the law. To be very candid with you, now that we have reached the ICJ, I really would like to focus much more on foreign affairs matters than on the ICJ matters. We have an excellent expert in the person of Dr. Assad Shoman."
Jules Vasquez
"But is it the feeling of the state from a cabinet perspective because the prime minister has expressed this that perhaps it something that we have to look at more closely because the state wants the protocol."
Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"Yes, I understand but my thinking Jules is long term, I believe that more important than any protocol, this is just my view - is that we seek to build bridges so that it will obviate the need for protocols. Let us see if we can reach the point with the Guatemalans that we have reached with the Mexicans where we live side by side in peace and harmony."
Jules Vasquez
"You would concede it is an extremely unfortunate development that after we both agreed to pursue a civil and lawful course to resolute the dispute that the Guatemalans are behaving with aggressiveness and hostility on our shared boundaries?"
Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"I was not of the view that there would not be episodes of that type. I was very pragmatic with respect to that. These things happen because people are many times irrational Jules. People get emotional; people do things for all kind of peculiar reasons."
And in an update to the story we ran earlier about Elrington as a defendant in court - judgement has not been reserved on that matter - in fact.
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