The Caribbean Community may have to act speedily to diffuse new political tension between Guatemala and Belize resulting from a surprising hostile act by the Guatemalan administration to circulate a new map that reaffirms its claim to Belizean territory.

And Guyana and Venezuela — which continue to carefully manage their own differences on border relations — could well become active participants to ensure quiet diplomacy triumphs old colonial-era disputes that continue to threaten territorial integrity and political sovereignty in this hemisphere.

There is also an urgent reason why not just CARICOM, but moreso the Organisation of American States (OAS), should vigorously intervene to avoid spreading tension. It has to do with Guatemala’s hosting of the forthcoming June annual meeting of the hemispheric organisation at which elections are scheduled for a new Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General. Guyana has officially declared its ambassador to the OAS, Bayney Karran, for the number two spot.

Belize’s main parliamentary opposition People’s United Party (PUP) — whose leader, the late George Price had valiantly fought to end colonialism when the country was known as British Honduras, has issued a warning of troubles ahead, if the Guatemalan Government does not withdraw the new map in circulation that renews the old claim to Belizean territory.

Contending that Guatemala plans on distributing some four million passports, over the next decade, with the new map claiming Belizean territory, PUP is urging the government of Prime Minister Dean Barrow to request a change in venue for the OAS annual meeting to avoid conflicts over what is viewed as “a provocative act”.

Not only does PUP favours a boycott by OAS member countries if Guatemala remains the venue. It has also called on Prime Minister Barrow to signal whether his administration would be prepared to support a planned initiative by the opposition that entry into Belize be denied to anyone holding a Guatemalan passport with a map showing Belize as its territory.

The candidates

It is of relevance to note here that against this latest renewal of Guatemala’s claim to Belizean territory a Guatemalan candidate is among potential contestants for the post of Secretary General to succeed the outgoing two-term former Chilean Foreign Minister, Miguel Insulza.

It so happens that Belize’s ambassador to the OAS, Nestor Mendez, as well as his Guyanese counterpart, Karran, are among candidates to succeed the outgoing two-term Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin, who failed to secure, as required, endorsement from his home government.

The Suriname administration of President Desi Bouterse, has already declared its support for the Guyanese candidate, as have also a significant number of other CARICOM partners. There is likely to be at least three candidates seeking the post of Secretary General with Mexico’s former Foreign Minister, Patricia Espinosa, reported to be a strong favourite.

CARICOM, which collectively represents a bloc of 14 votes among the 34-member countries, has normally played a key role in determining, with its Latin American allies, the choice of Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General.

At their Inter-Sessional meeting in Haiti this past February, CARICOM Heads of Government forwarded the issue of elections of a new OAS and deputy to the forthcoming May meeting of the Community’s Foreign Minister to further enable a final decision on candidates of choice.

What, therefore, develops over the renewed territorial conflict between Belize and Guatemala could well have serious implications for hosting of the OAS annual meeting by the Guatemalan Government in June and also jeopardise the chance of its candidature for the post of Secretary General.

At the time of writing, there was no official public reaction from Prime Minister Barrow’s government to the opposition PUP’s call for a boycott of the OAS annual meeting in Guatemala in protest against the renewal of its territorial claim to Belize.