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I am concerned about the integrity of the OAS

LettersI am concerned about the integrity of the OAS

Dear Editor,

I am concerned about the inaccurate propaganda put out by the Government of Belize. Do they believe Belizeans are unintelligent and won’t fact-check their assertions? They have a right to encourage us to vote yes, but based on facts, not half-truths and mere opinions.

I will take two points claimed by the former ICJ President Stephen Schwebel. When asked if the judges can be biased in favor of Guatemala because of its friendship with the USA, he said, “… I can state with confidence that such concerns are unfounded…”

Christopher Flugge resigned from a UN court in the Hague (CCJ) in January 2019 because of US interference, so the US can interfere.

Also, when asked, can Guatemala simply choose not to comply with the ICJ judgment, he said… “Article 94 of the UN Charter requires the UN Security Council to give effect to the judgment of the court”.

Article 94(2) states, “if any party fails to perform the obligations incumbent upon it under a judgment rendered by the Court, the other party may have recourse to the Security Council, which may, if it deems necessary, make recommendations or decide upon measures to be taken to give effect to the judgment “.

The word “may” means it’s discretionary, not required.

I have lost confidence in the Organization of American States (OAS). It has on many occasions been an instrument of the US and acted contrary to international law.

For example, on April 9, 2019, a meeting was held and 18 members out of 34 voted to recognize Juan Guaido’s ambassador to the OAS.

The Mexico ambassador stated, “There were no winners or losers, only losers”.

The OAS charter does not authorize the Permanent Council to decide on the recognition of a government. Mr. Guaido signed the ambassador’s credentials on January 22, 2019, but he was proclaimed interim president on January 23, 2019, so the letter has no legal validity.

Mr. Guaido’s ambassador was accepted. This was a US initiative that was not in accordance with the charter of the OAS.

The Belize-Guatemala issue, despite all of this, is managed by the OAS. Both the Confidence Building Measures and the 2008 Special Agreement are under the auspices of the OAS.

I am concerned about the integrity of the OAS. The EU, UK and the US recently encouraged Belize to take the dispute to the ICJ. They are trying to usurp our sovereignty. It is the Belizean people who should decide, not a group of colonizers that history has shown have little regard for developing countries like Belize.

As a son of the soil, I will contribute to the defense of Belize.

Yours truly,
Brian Ellis Plummer

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