Belize's point man in the Belize/Guatemala facilitation process, Sir Shridath Ramphal today continued consultation sessions canvassing various government and civil society leaders. Yesterday, he met with members of the National Advisory Council until late in the evening. Following up on that meeting, one leading member of the group has planned an event to get Sir Sonny's attention. Acting Secretary General of the NABR, Dr. Gilda Lewis has planned a "two nights" vigil at the grave site of patriot Phillip Goldson. The NABR executive has decided to turn to this most sage of patriots for spiritual counsel when it appears that the proposal for a settlement of the dispute may include a land swap, or possibly a lease. Lewis discussed the vigil and wider, attendant issues surrounding the territorial tete a tete.
Dr. Gilda Lewis
What we plan to do tonight is to go to Mr. Goldson's grave with our candles and see what we can come up with. We will also hold a vigil in Yabra Cemetery tomorrow night and we will get the light from Mr. Goldson and take it to Yabra Cemetery. Our leader is not here, he taught us all he knew and we are trying, you know, to do what he would have done and remember, he always said, "The time to save your country is before you lose it."
Jules Vasquez
Do you think any of the negotiators, people from the national negotiating team will be there: Assad Shoman, Eamon Courtenay?
Dr. Gilda Lewis
I doubt it, but it would be very good if they chose to align themselves with ordinary Belizeans.
Jules Vasquez
Negotiators are maybe out of touch with the national sentiment?
Dr. Gilda Lewis
Well, I think so to some extent because to tell you the truth, Jules, I have not talked to young or old Belizeans who have said they would be comfortable with us departing from our stand of not one square centimeter. I have talked to a lot of people who get very upset at any departure from our stand that not one square centimeter of land will go to Guatemala. And that's what we, we don't want to depart from that.
Jules Vasquez
While the idea of land cession may be abhorrent, it appears that it is very much on the table in a land swap, a lease, an exchange?
Dr. Gilda Lewis
Jules, a rose by any other name will smell as sweet. You call it land-swap, you call it lease, you call it settlement, whatever you call it. How will Belizeans see it? A square centimeter more, than a square centimeter, three square miles is going if we don't come up with a different approach. Anything that smacks of giving to Guatemala as a country. I really don't see it. I have the greatest difficulty in seeing it and I don't know how anybody can convince me otherwise.
Jules Vasquez
Well, its almost a virtual certainty now that we will have to hem in our border in the North some 3.5 miles at the intersection with the three countries.
Dr. Gilda Lewis
There are two boundary markers up there right now, an old one which is some distance into Mexico and a new one which is some distance into Guatemala and those are being used for whatever purpose of the boundary marker, but if they are not, do not, then they can't be because our treaty is clear.
Jules Vasquez
They are saying that is not, that error, that so-called error is not negotiable, that it is a matter of fact that our border edges Westward illegally 3.5 miles.
Dr. Gilda Lewis
You see a border, a border exists on paper and it becomes a reality when you plot it on land and you put your markers and so on. That has never been done between Garbutt's falls and the Mexican boundary.
Jules Vasquez
A hemming in of a border by any other name...?
Dr. Gilda Lewis
No Jules. If the border, listen, you have a neighbor on Albert Street and they gone and put up a fence on your side which they were not entitled to put there. It doesn't follow the survey pegs. Is that a concession if they move it and put it weh y mi business fi go? Why would your neighbor in, you know, some mistake put his fence on your land and afterwards realizes that he did it wrong. Why would he want to leave his fence there?
Jules Vasquez
Well, maybe his children play in that space.
Dr. Gilda Lewis
Well, then he has to explain to his children, sorry kids, I made a mistake.
Tonight's vigil at the Lord Ridge Cemetery begins at 7:00 pm, and tomorrow's at the Yabra Cemetery begins also at 7:00 pm.