When word got out that Belizeans were detained and being taken to Livingston, Guatemala, Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala, Alexis Rosado was quickly notified. Rosado came to Belize along with the group of Belizeans, yesterday. Ambassador Rosado was also part of the meeting that took place between four of the volunteers and the captain of the boat, Guillermo Avila. After the debriefing, Ambassador shared his sentiments on the situation.
AMBASSADOR ALEXIS ROSADO
“Well we are very disappointed by what happened and we are still trying to clear up the full picture but what it tells me is that we need to implement those agreements and do more to keep that level of communication. I think the fact that we managed to get out Belizeans back home so quickly, in fact they could have come home last night but because of the choppy waters and so they decided to overnight but the fact that we managed to get them back so quickly I think is a good indication of the communication and the links that exist between the militaries and also between the foreign ministries, that, of course, without prejudice to establishing all the facts surrounding the whole situation. From my point of view I think the most important thing is that our Belizeans are back home and they can be with their families and friends and be at home safely and secured; I think that is the most important part. The rest we’ll have to be deal with in due course. There is a protocol to deal with these things whenever they happen. We have to first of all establish the facts and there is a joint verification that ought to take place and that I think is already on stream I think the foreign ministry has already requested something like that so there is a protocol to follow and the important thing is that we get to the bottom of it all and ensure that it doesn’t happen again. We are in the process of determining clearly the full story and I am sure the CEO would have told you that we have heard from our Belizeans and we have to get the ball rolling in terms of the OAS involvement and getting Guatemalans to also establish the train of events on their side and in order to give us a full picture. So I don’t want to speculate about where it can go or where these things might lead.”
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