Last month, Madam Justice Michelle Arana ordered a court-connected mediation in the unresolved dispute between the Government of Belize and the four Maya communities – Conejo, Midway, Crique Sarco and Graham Creek – which had taken the Government to court over drilling in the Sarstoon Temash National Park (STNP).

In handing down the decision, Justice Arana had said that the Government did not obey its order to consult with claimant Maya communities.

Today, attorney for the Maya, Eamon Courtenay, SC, told our newspaper that the parties have not been able to agree on the terms of mediation, and so the court will be asked to give its instructions in the matter.

“We are hoping that it will be done before the vacation,” said Courtenay.

That court vacation commences next week, and Courtenay told us that he is optimistic that the mediation could proceed despite the court vacation.

He told us that they are disappointed at how long it’s taken for the matter to be resolved. He said that the Government has signaled that as far as they are concerned, the case is finished.

The attorney told us that no mediator has yet been appointed.