Leader of the Opposition Tracy Panton says Guatemala’s latest military aerial incursion should not be politicized. She joined the Briceno administration in condemning the blatant disrespect of Belize’s sovereignty by Guatemala’s military. At the same time, Panton criticized Prime Minister Briceño for using obscene language on Monday while responding to a reporter’s question about a related matter.
Tracy Panton
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
“The situation with the vale and maybe not so vale threats of the Guatemalan military, the aggression, the intimidation that we experienced this month in particular is no laughing matter. And it should not be something we take lightly. It should not also be something we politicize. There should be a nonpartisan approach to safeguarding Belize’s territorial integrity and to protecting our sovereignty. It is unfortunate that the prime minister is unraveling in the public fomain. He is unhinged. He cant obviously manage the stress that he is obviously under. I know that when you hold the highest office of the land, you must always be measures and sober and carry yourself with a particular decorum. It is wholey unacceptable for the prime minister to answer any member of the media the way he did yesterday.”
Panton Challenges Guatemala’s Incursion Denial
Guatemala says the military flight never happened, but Belize’s opposition leader says that denial should not end the conversation. Following Guatemala’s response at the United Nations General Assembly, Tracy Panton was pressed on whether Belize should continue relying on diplomatic protest notes when confronting repeated threats to its sovereignty. We asked whether the country needs a stronger response and what meaningful action could look like beyond another formal complaint. Here is what she had to say.
Tracy Panton
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
“Well we know we are not lying and I think the international community knows we are not lying. The have gotten the relevant brief from our Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New York. We are about to go to the ICJ to make oral arguments and I suppose Guatemala felt they had to walk back a bit, because that aggression does nothing to build confidence or to suggest that Guatemala will have any respect for the discussion the courts may make.”
Paul Lopez
“Many Belizeans are essentially are tired of the Government sending protest notes after protest notes and they are asking, what more can we do? How would you answer that question?”
Tracy Panton
“The truth of the matter is, Belize does not have the military fire power that our neighbor in Guatemala has. So, we have to use diplomacy. But we must use it with clarity, with consistency and we need to ensure we remain true to the concerns of the Belizean people. You cant say on one hand that you denounce the aggression of Guatemala and then on the other hand your wife is spending time with the first lady of Guatemala. It is wholly unacceptable.”
PM Briceño has reportedly taken a decision to recall Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala as a form of protest.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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