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Belize’s fear-mongering Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington

HeadlineBelize’s fear-mongering Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington

“If Belizeans vote no on April 10, the Guatemalans could invade,” Elrington said.

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Dec. 13, 2018– Each time Foreign Minister Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington gets an opportunity to educate the Belizean people on the question of the Guatemala claim and the matter of taking it to the International Court of Justice, he squanders the opportunity with his never-ending attempt to spread fear in the minds of Belizeans.

Today was no exception when Elrington was interviewed at the Philip Goldson International Airport, where he had gone, presumably to meet the Guatemala President Jimmy Morales, who arrived in the country to attend the SICA Heads of Government Summit.

Channel 5’s Hipolito Novelo interviewed Elrington: “Belizeans aren’t really fond of the Guatemalan president,” Novelo mentioned to Elrington.

“I would not expect any kind of hullabaloo because I don’t know what the Guatemalan President is doing to the Belizean people for them to have a hullabaloo about it,” Elrington responded.

When the reporter responded telling him, “He is claiming part of the country,” Elrington responded, “We have a claim which he inherited and which we inherited and in a very mature fashion they have decided how they will handle it. They have decided that they will go to the International Court of Justice to have it resolved. I think that is a most commendable and mature manner to handle it….”

Novelo reminded Elrington what he had said in September about Guatemala invading Belize if Belizeans vote no to going to the ICJ.

Elrington, however, attempted to walk back his statement, declaring that he did not say that.

“Sir, but you’ve said that if Belizeans vote no on April tenth, Guatemalans will come over and invade, and take over Belize and we will become refugees,” Novelo pressed him.

Elrington attempted another walk back: “That is not what I said,” he shot back.

“That is not what I said. What I said is that that can happen. That can happen because none of us know the future,” Elrington said.

When Novelo told him the possibility of that happening is minimal, however, Elrington insisted, “No, no. I don’t discount anything. I have seen things in my lifetime that I thought would never have happened. What I am trying to do is to ensure we as government do all in power to inform and educate the Belizean people as to all the possibilities so that they know when they make their decision on April tenth what the consequences can be.”
Novelo asked him if “Invasion to you is a possibility?”

“That’s always a possibility. No country has military force for gain. You don’t have these things just because you like guns and militaries establishments and institutions. You have them to defend your own territory and they have been used as we see in the case of Russia and North Korea and the others for aggressive purposes as well.”

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