Posted: Tuesday, December 17, 2024. 5:24 pm CST.
By Aaron Humes: The Belize Coast Guard reports that the Guatemalan navy ship found in Belizean waters this morning has been escorted out. It is the second such incident in three months, with a prior report in September.
Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Coast Guard Commandant, reports that the ship was not aground on the Barrier Reef, but had apparently come into Belizean waters while on patrol. It has equipment for bathymetry, the mapping of waters for research purposes. The Coast Guard detachment from Hunting Caye went out to meet the vessel at Ragged Caye, about three miles to the south, and informed its captain that he was in Belize, only to be told the ship believed it was still in Guatemala.
After a discussion, the ship was escorted out and returned to Guatemalan waters. Admiral Bennett stated that the next steps will be diplomatic, with a report to his superiors in the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security, which will lead to a note from Belmopan to Guatemala City seeking an explanation. He noted that there will be no investigation by the Organization of American States (OAS) as the confidence building measures between the countries do not cover activity on the sea.
This evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in a press release confirmed the above information, including confirmation that the Guatemalan vessel did not run aground, as reported, and members of the Belize Coast Guard, after engaging with the Guatemalan officers on board, escorted the Guatemalan patrol boat out of Belizean waters.
The Ministry said it “will strongly protest the illegal incursion by the Guatemalan patrol boat into Belizean waters and will call on the Guatemalan authorities to dissuade their armed forces from continuing to traverse into Belizean waters without authorization from Belizean authorities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade will continue to engage with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala to insist that its Armed Forces respect the maritime and territorial integrity of Belize and its internationally recognized borders.”
As we have reported, the Sapodilla Cayes are part of a tri-cornered dispute between Belize, Guatemala and Honduras that is to be resolved at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
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Posted: Tuesday, December 17, 2024. 5:24 pm CST. By Aaron Humes: The Belize Coast Guard reports that the Guatemalan navy ship found in Belizean waters this
The post Coast Guard escorted Guatemalan navy patrol boat out of Belize; Foreign Affairs says it will protest appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
