We've been reporting on the escalating acts of Guatemalan military aggression on the Sarstoon. So what does Belize's agent to the ICJ Ambassador Assad Shoman think of it? We asked him last night on Uncut:
Assad Shoman
"One of the selling points for the ICJ, the yes to ICJ vote was that you, that we would no longer be experiencing this aggression on the Sarstoon, and here we are."
Jules Vasquez:
"Yeah. Or anywhere else. But the Sarstoon has been the flashpoint."
"And people voted for the ICJ with the expectation that the Guatemalan aggression would stop, that the Guatemalans would chill. They have not. They recently assaulted, a bunch of, a group of Belizean territorial volunteers. They rammed their boat in a very deliberate way into the territorial volunteers."
"People feel that their trust has been abused and that there is no let up in the Guatemalan aggression, even though the matter is before the ICJ. Your response?"
Assad Shoman
"I don't think it's true to say that."
"What we have in the in the Sarstoon, I do not think there is enough proof to say that that is a concerted policy of the government of Guatemala, especially with this new government, that we heard the president make a statement at the U.N., which I think we can take at face value, unless it is proven otherwise."
"But these incidents that that have been taking place, which have (been) very few and far between, which I think you must admit, compared to what it was before, are controllable incidents, I don't think, they're out of control, Jules."
Jules Vasquez:
"I don't think so, ambassador. They rammed a Belizean vessel with the very clear purpose, It appeared to me, of capsizing or destabilizing the vessel in which the victims were."
Assad Shoman
"How big was the Belizean vessel?"
Jules Vasquez:
"Guys bring up the footage, but I don't know, a 20ft vessel."
Assad Shoman
"How big was the Guatemalan one?"
Jules Vasquez
"It was at least ten feet larger with men with with, submachine guns. You can see there, bring it up on the monitor where you can see it. Bang!"
Assad Shoman
"So if they really wanted to overturn it, they would have done it right?"
Jules Vasquez
"They seem to have rammed it in a very deliberate way, Assad."
Assad Shoman
"They wanted to overturn it, would it have been possible for them to do it, or did we have overpowering force on our side that we had?"
Jules Vasquez:
"We have a bunch of civilians."
Assad Shoman
"So yeah, I'm not, I'm not saying it's not a serious incident. Right. It is something we have to use all our diplomatic force against, right? But I don't think it's a matter for alarm or for seeing where everything is lost, no. Let's not panic or something like that, right?"
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