good lord doug
this is multi fantastic news
& many welcomes to you in any case
the mention of the aguas turbias terminus at the belize guatemala mexico
tri country point especially intrigues me
as this point is my present best shot at a personal tri country target
& the closest such tripoint to the united states
as well as the focal point of the detail map under glass on my personal
smoking table
so i cant help wondering if you are posting from belize
&or do you have any knowledge of this point
best regards
m
> Some interesting events surrounding the Belize/Guatemala border...
>The first 3 stories from Belize's "The Reporter" newspaper. The final one
>from Channel 5 Belize Television. ***Milestone agreement for Belize
>and GuatemalaThe Organization of American State Permanent Council this
>week approved aresolution, proposed by delegations from both Guatemala
>and Belize forfurther confidence-building measures over the ongoing
>territorial dispute.Assad Shoman, Senior Ambassador with ministerial rank
>represented Belizeduring a session of the OAS Permanent Council held on
>Wednesday, November8, at the OAS headquarters in Washington
>D.C.Representing Guatemala was its foreign minister Gabriel (Orellana
>Rojas.Both men signed an agreement to adopt a comprehensive set
>ofconfidence-building measures to avoid further incidents between the
>twocountries.OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria, congratulated both
>countries for themilestone agreement their delegation has reached so far
>in their quest fora peaceful settlement over the dispute." This is a very
>significant step that clears the way for the negotiationson the substance
>of the differendum to be addressed in a climate of mutualconfidence and
>tranquility for both governments and for the people livingin the area. It
>faithfully reflects the commitment of both parties to theprocess and
>their will for peace," Secretary General Gaviria said.Based on the
>proposal, the OAS went ahead and approved a resolution thatsupports the
>process of negotiation. It has also established a special fundto support
>the negotiation by financing the costs of the work of the panelof
>facilitators in the dialogue." The decision of the Permanent Council
>underlines the commitment of theOAS to continue promoting and supporting
>the peaceful resolution ofdisputes between member states," Gaviria
>said.***BDF in morale crisisCommandant designate dismisses internal
>gripesGuatemala's continuous unfounded claim to Belizean soil along with
>reportsof serious tension among its ranks, is causing great concern for
>the menand women in the Belize Defence Force."We are suffering in
>silence. There is a serious situation that we have todeal with from the
>outside, as well as serious internal problems thatcontinue to go
>unnoticed with-in the BDF," said one of two high ranking BDFofficers and a
>private who Reporter interviewed this week."Our soldiers are sitting on a
>time bomb. There is frustration anddisappointment on a day-to-day basis.
>There will come a point when oursoldiers, out of frustration, will show
>absolutely no respect to us at thesenior level, and unfortunately nothing
>is being done to address theseproblems," expressed a calm but serious top
>BDF officer.The tension, they said, became even more intense after the
>apprehension byGuatemalan soldiers, of three of their soldiers and a
>police officer inFebruary of this year. "Border patrols were suspended
>after the apprehension of the four securitypersonnel. After these men were
>freed on bail in Guatemala, they jumpedbail and returned to Belize. The
>decision to have them jump bail, couldescalate into serious impact on our
>soldiers who are patrolling theBelize/Guatemalan borderline."Our soldiers
>are patrolling in fear, as a result of this situation. Theyare greatly
>concerned that should they come across a platoon of Guatemalansoldiers,
>which numbers forty strong and who are well equipped withammunition, it
>is likely that they could be easily overpowered and takeninto Guatemala,
>with the high possibility of being charged and jailed," onetop official
>said.Commandant designate of the BDF, Colonel Cedrick Borland, refuted
>theseallegations and painted a rosier picture of what he described as
>progressin the BDF. He conceded that there exist certain threats along
>the borderline.Colonel Borland said that the training which the soldiers
>go throughrequires them to achieve a certain level of readiness. He said
>that thereis a refresher's course that soldiers participate in, and this
>keeps themup with certain standard."Our soldiers have been trained to
>deal with these situations and trainingis a continuous process to ensure
>that our soldiers are kept in the higheststandard," Col. Borland said.The
>soldiers meanwhile expressed concern that they have been placed in
>ahostile environment.And with the lack of necessary technical support,
>due to limited resources,no systematic plans are in place should they
>encounter a situation with theaggressive Guatemalan military."There is
>only one vehicle in operation for the BDF base in Toledo. AtTreetop,
>there are eight of us, and another group are out on patrol. Howare we
>going to be assisted should an incident or accident occur if thatonly
>vehicle is not available? There is not even a backup system in place,"one
>explained.Col. Borland refuted this claim, stating that there are two
>vehiclesavailable at Fairweather Camp.Another problem cited is the lack
>of communication in the BDF. Soldierssaid they are rarely informed of new
>developments in the BDF. "We usuallyhear of these developments through
>the media. We were never informed of theappointment of a new commandant.
>We were never told that the Guatemalanswere very upset over the removal
>of the flag from Santa Rosa," one of thetop official said.As to the
>removal of the flag from the school in Santa Rosa, the soldierssaid that
>they had to remove the flag during nighttime, when the villagerswere
>already in their homes.One soldier says that just recently they came
>across an illegal Guatemalansettlement in an area known as Retiro, in the
>Cayo district. When theyapproached the settlers and informed them that
>they have to return toGuatemala, the settlers told them boldly that they
>were not moving, unlessthey are told by the Guatemalan military to do so.
>"These settlers arestill there," he said.The soldiers also complained of
>living in deplorable conditions and of thedisrespect shown them by the
>Ministry of National Security.Col. Borland was more optimism in the BDF,
>and said that there is goodcommunication within the BDF. He said that
>much improvement has been takingplace at the Fairweather Camp and the two
>observation posts in the ToledoDistrict.****A Big Thing!Guatemala claims
>Belize disrespectful of her flagGuatemala is making a big thing over the
>actions of the BDF in taking downa Guatemalan flag which was being flown
>at an illegal settlement withinBelizean borders.The Guatemalan
>squatters were told to leave and the flag was removed. Itwas later
>delivered over to the Guatemalan Embassy in Belize City.The Prensa Libre
>newspaper of Sunday, November 5 reports what happenedlater. President
>Portillo organized a Flag Tribute ceremony with militaryguard of honour
>and senior members of the government, including ForeignMinister
>Orellana.The dignitaries at the ceremony included the Presidents of the
>Judiciaryand the Legislature, Hugo Maul Figueroa and Efrain Rios Montt.
>The flag wasturned over to the Minister of Defence, Juan de Dios Estrada,
>whosubsequently delivered it to the Minister of Education, Mario
>Torres.Torres is to attend a flag-raising ceremony at the opening of the
>newschool year (2001) for students of Santa Rosa School in Peten. The
>ceremonyis to be accompanied by a 21-gun salute.Orellana said during a
>speech he made on this occasion that it was sheerinsanity to pretend to
>stain the honour of the Guatemalan flag.He said that Guatemala was
>sending a message to Belize and to the worldthat Guatemala would defend
>her homeland ("su tierra y su hogar")!Orellana added: "The government of
>Belize realized the error it hadcommitted, and in response to the just
>Guatemalan protest, had returnedthe patriotic symbol."Ambassador Jorge
>Skinner Klee made a special trip from Belize to take theflag back to
>Guatemala. He handed it over to President Alfonso Portillo.The elaborate
>ceremony was held at the Guatemalan Air Force base in
>thecapital.Ambassador Skinner Klee also took the opportunity while in
>Guatemala toreport that his Embassy in Belize had received a bomb threat.
>He said alsothat the consulate in Belize had been the target of "criminal
>acts", namelyrobberies involving the property of Guatemalan diplomats.The
>Prensa Libre notes that Guatemala is claiming 12.272 square kilometersof
>land from Belize.It provided no details as to what part of the country
>the Guatemalans now want.Prensa Libre reported also that during the last
>three years, incursions bythe Belize military have intensified against
>settlements in the provinceof Peten.***From Channel 5: Details released
>of Belize-Guatemala agreement
>More details have become available on the agreement signed Wednesday
>between Belize and Guatemala. The twelve point document, signed at OAS
>headquarters in Washington D.C., deals solely with confidence building
>measures that will be undertaken by both countries along their common
>border.
>Article one lays the groundwork by stipulating that the measures outlined
>in the document are temporary for the purpose of easing tensions and do
>not prejudice any claims to sovereignty by either country over any
>territory, now or in the future.
>Article two states that unless extended by mutual agreement, these
>measures expire on August thirty-first, 2001.
>Article three, while noting one and two, specifies recognition of what is
>called an "adjacency line." Coincidentally, this adjacency line exactly
>follows the traditional borderline from Gracias a Dios in the south to
>Garbutt's Falls and Aguas Turbias in the north. Use of the line, however,
>does not imply that it represents an international boundary.
>Under article four, the parties agree to identify all existing markers and
>survey the line. They will also identify all settlements within one
>kilometre on each side.
>Article five specifies that this two kilometre wide swath of land shall be
>called the "adjacency zone."
>Article six, the real meat of the agreement, deals with how things will be
>run in the adjacency zone, namely: all settlements which existed in the
>zone as of October first of this year shall remain undisturbed, save for
>marijuana farms. Those settlements established after October first and
>lie east of the line may be removed by the Belize Government, using a set
>procedure. All settlers in the zone prior to October first will be
>identified and their nationality documented. Any Guatemalans residing on
>the Belize side of the line and any Belizeans on the Guatemalan side will
>be issued a license to stay and are bound to respect the laws of the
>country on the particular side of the line where they reside.
>Additionally, Guatemala will undertake a campaign to dissuade its
>citizens from settling to the east of the adjacency line, and at the same
>time the two countries' military forces will co-ordinate their activities
>in the area.
>Articles seven through eleven obligate the two countries to promote
>community contacts across the line, facilitate traffic and meet regularly
>to avoid conflicts. These measures will include the prevention of
>incidents, which could cause tension, and the formulation of plans for a
>response to natural disasters.
>Finally, article twelve asks the parties to monitor the confidence
>building measures and work together to resolve any problems. If that
>proves difficult, then any contentious issues should be referred to the
>two facilitators who may, if they wish, ask the OAS to appoint a
>fact-finding mission.
>The facilitator for Belize is Sir Shridath Ramphal, while Guatemala has
>appointed Paul Reichler. The agreement was signed in Washington, D.C. by
>Belizean Ambassador Assad Shoman and Guatemalan Foreign Minister Gabriel
>Orellana.
>
>Cheers!
>
>
>
>Doug
>
>
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