Going back now to today's interview with the Prime Minister in Belmopan, we asked him about the Guatemala's Territorial, Insular and Maritime Claim now at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
He said it wasn't discussed:
Reporter
"Did you and President Giammattei discussed the ongoing case before the ICJ?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister of Belize
"We did not discuss the case simply because it is at the ICJ. They have already submitted their case, we have I think until June of next year to answer. I think we are going to be ready long before that."
Reporter
"Sir, two years ago on today's date actually June 7th, the Government of Belize officially informed the ICJ that Belizeans voted yes. But since then, there's been no public discussion of what the Guatemalans filed in their memorial, so could you discuss a bit of what they are claiming at this point?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister of Belize
"I am not sure if it is something we can announced and if it were so, then you journalist can go at any time at the ICJ and download it. It's pretty much what you were saying, you already saw that they were claiming almost half of the country from the Sibun River down south. I'm trying to make the case that because they got independence from Spain that they should have gotten a part of Belize and we know that Spain never had any possession of Belize, neither did Guatemala, they were never here on this land and we believe fully that we also have the right to self-determination."
For the record, the Guatemalan Memorial is not on the ICJ website.
