BELIZE CITY, Mon. Oct. 29, 2018– Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced today at his press conference that government sees no need to change the International Court of Justice (ICJ) referendum date that has been set for April 10, 2019, when Belizeans will go to the polls to vote on whether or not to submit Guatemala’s territorial claim to the ICJ for a final judicial settlement.
Barrow said, however, that the Foreign Minister and Cabinet have agreed on a number of steps to fortify the ICJ education campaign as Belize prepares to keep its April 10, 2019 date with destiny.
“And you heard me correctly: the ICJ Referendum date is April 10, 2019, and we have no intention of changing that date,” Barrow told the country today.
The Prime Minister said that he had met privately with the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. John Briceno, and at that meeting which took place over a week ago, Briceño had raised the question of postponement of the ICJ referendum.
Barrow said, “But I did not find the reasons offered for the suggestion at all convincing. Especially since the postponement the PUP leader wanted was until after the November, 2020 general elections. The arguments for postponement, as I understood them, are that April 10, 2019 is too close to November 2020, and to hold the referendum as scheduled would contaminate it with partisan electoral campaigning for 2020.”
Barrow said that the year and a half would provide enough of a firewall distance between the two key events.
“Then it was most recently said by the Leader of the Opposition that the fact that our ICJ
legal brief is not yet fully formalized is another reason for postponement,” Barrow added, “But, again that makes no sense. Why would we completely finalize our ICJ preparations before we even know if we are going to the ICJ? And especially when our case, as Assad Shoman’s summary in his most recent book makes crystal clear, is already so factually obvious and legally compelling, that applying finishing touches would not require very much time,” Barrow explained.
Barrow said that if Belize votes yes on April 10, the ICJ submission process would start one month after that, on May 10, 2019. This means that Guatemala would have one year from May 10, 2019 to submit its argument to the ICJ and copy it to Belize. We would then have one year after that to respond. Then Guatemala will have another 6 months more for our rejoinder to their reply.
“So, there is no good reason to postpone. And if we did, we run the risk of alarming all our international friends whose support for us has been key and whom we need to keep on side,” Barrow said.
Barrow explained that the official education campaign is pressing ahead, but government has also added some brain thrust to it.
“More back office personnel and field officers have been recruited. And Ambassador Lou Anne Burns and High Commissioner Perdomo — soon to be joined by Ambassador Dylan Vernon — will add to Ambassador Rosado’s leadership. Meantime, CEO Wallace will assist particularly with the ad campaign, and use the OPM to help untie bureaucratic knots. With all this new firepower, we are confident that the five plus months left are ample enough to blanket the country with the facts that will help Belizeans make an informed decision on April 10,” Barrow pointed out.
“Finally, we are in talks with Assad Shoman to delineate the role that he could play in all this. With his outstanding academic and practical expertise, and his historical centrality to the long and tortuous evolution of this issue, Assad could be an invaluable resource. We hope soon, then, to conclude an agreement with him,” Barrow disclosed.