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Belize-Guatemala Accord Aims To Resolve Territorial Dispute

09 September 2005

Organization of American States brokers deal to deepen bilateral relationship

By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Belize and Guatemala have signed an agreement, brokered by the Organization of American States (OAS), aimed at deepening relations between the two countries while they continue trying to resolve a long-standing territorial dispute.

In a September 6 statement, the OAS said the agreement commits the two countries to "respect and implement, with OAS assistance, a series of measures on a framework of negotiation and confidence-building measures as well as an architecture for future negotiation."  The agreement was signed September 6 at OAS headquarters in Washington.

Assad Shoman, who signed the accord on behalf of Belize, said the agreement marks a "significant moment in the ongoing attempts by Guatemala and Belize to finally and honorably resolve a longstanding territorial dispute that exists between the two countries."  Shoman, Belize's senior ambassador, said neither his country nor Guatemala "desires this dispute," recalling efforts over the past five years to settle the matter.

"It is really not good for Guatemala, Belize, nor for the countries of the Americas to have such a dispute continue into the 21st century," said Shoman.

Guatemala's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Briz, who signed the accord for his country, said that with the "goodwill" the agreement entails, and with the involvement of OAS Secretary-General José Miguel Insulza, "we will work together to move forward on projects as sister nations ... to not only work out specific problems but also to pursue progress and well-being for our citizens."

Insulza, who also signed the agreement, called the pact an important achievement for the OAS as well as for its member states and, in particular, for the two countries involved.

According to U.S. State Department background documents, the dispute between Guatemala and Belize involves Guatemalan claims to territory held by Belize.  More information about the dispute is available on the State Department Web site.

Negotiations to settle the dispute have gone on for many years.  The State Department says ratification of an agreement by the people of Belize and Guatemala would put their countries "in the forefront of regional and international efforts to embrace courageously new opportunities for cooperation and mutual growth."

The United States is part of the "Group of Friends" of Belize and Guatemala, a group that has provided financial support to a fund that allowed the OAS to undertake a series of activities to strengthen peace and security between the two Central American neighbors. (See related article.)

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)