Guatemalan President Alavaro Colom has gone on record to say that his government is waiting for Belize to get on with a referendum which will let citizens decide if they want to take the Belize-Guatemala territorial issue to the International Court of Justice for final determination.
Well, now, Belize’s government is saying the same thing, they’re ready too - but all that doesn’t mean that the referendum is coming up anytime soon. That’s because while Colom is eager for a referendum, the Belize government is not so sure that he can deliver and that’s because of a very practical limitation that he faces. Colom, while he is president, his party, the National Unity for Hope does not control the congress. That’s a problem for him, because congress must approve a referendum and that will take some doing. Best bet is that’s why Colom has gone ahead with his bold statement to start clearing the way for a referendum in that country.
In Belize, Prime Minister Dean Barrow today confirmed to us that the government has committed to and is prepared to go through with a referendum – as soon as the Guatemalans are ready. And while his government is ready, when asked what position his UDP party would take on this most visceral issue, Barrow said they have not decided. But he said he would vote yes in such a referendum and would ask his party to do the same – but would allow individual leader a free vote – that is they would not be constrained by the party position.
