The Prime Minister returned to Belize today after scoring a major diplomatic success at the 27th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in St. Kitts. Belize has gotten the 15 member CARICOM bloc to stand in solidarity with it against Guatemala's ascension to the rotating seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Today's Miami Herald quotes the new CARICOM Chairman, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas saying that "the very strong view within CARICOM is that the claim Guatemala continues to make on Belize is unacceptable." Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit stated plainly that, "CARICOM has decided to support Venezuela."
The official communiqué coming out of the meeting is not as direct, it states, "(CARICOM) would wish to be assured that the elected member (to the U.N Security council) would fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its...member states."
Overall, the resolution, bold and strident as it is, speaks to the success of Belize's diplomatic lobby, but, as they say, you don't have to push too hard at an open door. And the fact is that Guatemala has very few friends in CARICOM because it has openly tried to undermine and negate preferential markets for bananas grown in the Caribbean. Also, CARICOM leaders have spoken with disdain about the fact that the United States has taken over Guatemala's lobby.
Of course, Belize's official position has been that if the United States can compel Guatemala to do something about the lingering illegal Guatemalan settlement of Santa Rosa on Belizean soil, it will advise CARICOM member states that they can vote as they wish.
As we've noted, the 15 CARICOM votes are only a portion of the 120 votes either Venezuela or Guatemala need to gain the seat when it is voted on in October. But those 15 votes, and the possible influence they could have on the votes in the African continent, could prove to be the critical swing votes for either side.
