Meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Committee on Belize, 27 September 2010 - Concluding Statement

The Commonwealth Ministerial Committee on Belize was convened by the Commonwealth Secretary-General on 27 September 2010 in New York, in accordance with the mandate given to him by Commonwealth Heads of Government when they met in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009, "to convene the Ministerial Committee on Belize whenever necessary". The meeting was chaired by Senator the Honourable Maxine McClean, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados.

The Committee met to review developments in the continuing efforts of Belize to bring an end to Guatemala's territorial claim. The Committee was briefed on the current situation by the Honourable Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize.

The Committee noted with satisfaction that on 9 September 2010, the Congress of Guatemala approved the Special Agreement required for submission of the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and that Belize will soon complete its internal processes to bring the Special Agreement into force in Belize. The Committee further noted that Belize is ready to engage in discussions with Guatemala, to determine the date and mode for the conduct of the simultaneous referenda on the matter. In this regard, the Committee noted the continued efforts of Belize to sustain a public awareness campaign to ensure that all Belizeans are able to make a fully informed decision.

The Committee expressed concern in respect of the continuous illegal encroachment into Belizean territory by Guatemalans resulting in the deforestation of Belize's protected forests, illegal logging, illegal hunting, illegal extraction of xate leaves and the looting of archaeological sites. In this regard, the Committee commended the establishment of a High Level Working Group to advise the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both Belize and Guatemala on measures to improve the effectiveness of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs). The Committee recognised the critical role of the Organization of American States (OAS) in the continued implementation of the CBMs and encouraged the international community to continue its financial support of the OAS office in the Adjacency Zone.

The Committee reaffirmed its firm support for the territorial integrity, security and sovereignty of Belize.