Belize/Guatemala border dispute to go before ICJ

By Melissa Bryant
Reporter~SKNVibes.com

BELMOPAN, Belize - BELIZE and Guatemala have signed a special agreement that will see them taking their border dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for arbitration.

According to Caribbean 360, the two countries have been engaged in a longstanding dispute over where the border between them lies and the ICJ would be asked to make a final and binding determination on the land and sea boundaries.

According to a press release from the Belize government, the move is a way “to finally put an end...to all differences that exist between the two countries in respect of their land and insular territories and their maritime areas.

“It sets out clearly that the final decision of taking the matter to the ICJ will be taken by the people in popular referenda in both countries”.

As neither Belize nor Guatemala has given the ICJ mandatory jurisdiction over disputes with other states, the court can only hear the case if they both submit a special agreement which would set out the scope of the case and the question that the ICJ would be asked to determine.

The Belize government has stated that it is trying to “definitively put an end to Guatemala's unfounded claim and remove any chance of Guatemala raising other claims in the future against Belize's territory”. The government also stated that based on all its legal advice, its case is “legally very sound”.

Once the special agreement has been registered with the ICJ, Guatemala, as the claimant, will have 12 months to present its case in writing; then Belize will have 12 months to respond by presenting its counterarguments in writing.

Guatemala will then have another six months to respond to the counterarguments and Belize will once again have the opportunity to submit arguments to counter Guatemala's case within the following six months.

Additionally, the proposed timelines for the presentation by each party may be extended by the ICJ, and the court can also allow each party to make additional pleadings to support their case.