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Concluding statement of the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Committee on Belize

Download a PDF version of the statement: Concluding statement of the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Committee on Belize 

The Commonwealth Ministerial Committee on Belize was convened by the Commonwealth Secretary-General on 22 September 2006 in New York in accordance with the mandate given to him by the Commonwealth Heads of Government when they met in Coolum Australia in March 2002 “to convene the Ministerial Committee on Belize when the occasion required it”. The meeting was chaired by Dame the Honourable Billie Miller, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados. The meeting was attended by Foreign Ministers and representatives of Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, Canada, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tanzania and the UK.

The Committee met to review the developments in the continuing efforts of Belize to bring an end to Guatemala’s territorial claim. The Committee received a report from His Excellency the Honourable Eamon Courtney, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on the current situation concerning the dispute.

The Committee reiterated its firm support for the territorial integrity, security and sovereignty of Belize. The Committee recalled the Agreement on a Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures between Belize and Guatemala signed by the two Parties and the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) on 7 September 2005, noting the important elements of the Agreement, especially the key role of the Secretary General of the OAS, within the new round of negotiations therin.

The Committee further noted that maritime negotiations pursuant to the Agreement were underway and welcomed the cooperation and participation of Honduras in those negotiations. The Committee expressed confidence that the effective implementation of the Agreement, including the mechanism to allow recourse to an international judicial body for final resolution, could contribute to the culmination of the Parties’ efforts towards the peaceful and definitive settlement of the territorial dispute, and urged the support and assistance of the international community.

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