As we have been reporting, the dispute over Maya customary land rights continues with no end in sight. The Maya Leaders Alliance and Toledo Alcaldes Association have reached another stalemate and now have to return to the Caribbean Court of Justice. They alleging that the Government of Belize has again delayed implementing the 2015 Consent Order. Today we spoke extensively with the area rep for Toledo East who outlined government's perspective:
Dr. Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"They do have the right to submit a new request to the Caribbean Court of Justice. Secondly I respectfully disagree that are too far apart, I believe that under the leadership of PM Briceno even the Ministry of Indigenous affairs was put in place so that we can have respectful discussions but indeed there are a lot of questionable and the questions are based on the basic and most fundamental pillar that we must have for everyone and that is the right to humanity. We do support and we do understand that as a government we must comply with the Caribbean Court of Justice decision but at the same time there is a right that we must respect on the third parties that are within the area that has been identified and which is the case that was taken to the Caribbean court of Justice and so the government of Belize have initiated what I would say a very innovative approach to put two representatives from the government to discuss the way forward on the draft legislation and the implementation so that both the government and the leaders of the MLA can come together and together we can implement the legislation. We had our first meeting which was to look at the terms of reference and I believe that meeting was very productive because in every negotiation you can put proposals forward but proposals does not mean there is a final decision and so there is a proposal but that's not a final decision. That was our first meeting of many, there's a road map of how many meetings we should have within a two months period of which we have only had our first one so To say that on our first meeting we are far apart based on my experience in negotiations I will respectfully disagree because I believe that at the contrary there is a way forward that we have agreed to on a roadmap on how we will be discussing the way forward, the next steps and the other meetings so I won't say that we are moving in the same direction but at the same time I will disagree that we are far apart but I want to categorically say that we all have to fight for one common goal and that one common goal is for the benefit of the people who will be the beneficiaries while protecting the right of the third parties."
