After the bi-national referendum process crashed in 2013, diplomats from Belize and Guatemala have been trying to forge a new way forward. After signing to a "Road Map and Plan of Action" in Washington in January, they are following up with a new wave of meetings led by a joint commission meant to build meaningful relationships not just at the official level, but at the level of the general population.
Those started on Sunday in Flores Peten and officials traveled by road back to Punta Gorda through Jalacte. Today they convened at the posh BelCampo Inn outside of Punta Gorda Town.
The officials from Belize and Guatemala include the Vice ministers of both countries, which in this country is the CEO, as well as the CEO's of agriculture, national security, Ambassador Fred Martinez, Opposition Representative Lisa Shoman, visitors from the commercial sector in Izabal Guatemala and the local chamber from Punta Gorda. CEO Alexis Rosado told PGTV's Will Maheia what they are and aren't talking about:..
Alexis Rosado
"We had set a plan of action with the Guatemalans to develop various projects areas of collaboration over 2014 so that we could: 1. work together better. 2. Try see ho we can develop confidence at all levels of society. This is the first meeting of the joint commission that was establish 2 weeks ago in Washington by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. What we are looking forward is for them to tell us the kind of work that they have been doing; what we are looking for is to see how we could constructively collaborate with each other."
Will Maheia, PGTV
"Is there any thing in the pipeline as far as keeping the borderline clean or cleared?"
Alexis Rosado
"Well we went to see the monument yesterday, the whole team; them and us. We went there together and in fact they have invited us to go along the Sarstoon so that we can do it jointly. We do understand that there is a huge difference; we say this is the border, they say it is not - that's why we say lets settle it at the ICJ. But what we have said is that we have 2 tracks that we ought to take: one is you have the dispute where we say its a border, they say its not a border. Lets solve it at the ICJ - put that on a track. There is another angle to it which is that should not prevent us from collaborating from working together. At the end of the day the biggest problem we have here and on their side is poverty. underdevelopment and we ought to do as the government is try to facilitate ways for our people to get out of that poverty."
Meetings will be held monthly at this level and sub-meetings for various sectors will be held independently.
And after the interview, Maheia donned his activist hat and helped the Belize Territorial Volunteers put up NO ICJ flags on the road to the resort.
