Can official cooperation continue when diplomatic tensions are running high? That question is following Special Envoy Rossana Briceño’s recent trip to Guatemala, which came amid the fallout from a reported military airspace incursion. Her attendance at a regional meeting has sparked debate over whether the timing was appropriate and what message the visit may have sent. Today, Cabinet Minister Julius Espat shared his perspective on the trip and Belize’s sensitive relationship with Guatemala.
Julius Espat
Julius Espat, Cabinet Minister
“I would really not want to answer that one. Lot of respect for my prime minister and his wife. I can tell you, though, I lived in Guatemala for six years. And the relationship between the people of Guatemala and the people of Belize is as close as family. Now, that both countries use the issue politically, that’s historical. Guatemala has a bigger problem than us in that they can’t recognize Belize just like that. The last president that did it had a coup a couple of days after. Why? Because it is written in their constitution, just like Honduras has the Sapodilla written in their constitution. And so it is important for these countries, along with us, that that case be solved so that they can take it out of their constitution. That’s an issue that we don’t understand. And so it has to be solved one way or the other. But the coincidence of having Mrs. Briceño there at the time, I will leave that to the foreign ministry and the prime minister to respond. I don’t have any authority or anything on that.”
Both Prime Minister John Briceño and Rossana Briceño have defended the trip, calling it a necessary endeavor to ensure Belize has a voice during regional discussions.
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