OAS Urges Guatemala, Belize to Hold Emergency MeetingThe Organization of American States (OAS) has urged Guatemala and Belize to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the tensions in their border areas, said local press reports.The meeting is scheduled to be held by the foreign ministers of the two countries in Miami on January 16, according to a communique released by Guatemala's Foreign Ministry. Tension between the two countries intensified when Belize issued a notice to 221 Guatemalan villagers to withdraw from their present locality, which is said to be inside the Belizean territory, in less than 72 hours. Belize told the Guatemalans to move and stay out of the proximity zone established under the accords reached by the two governments last year. The ministerial meeting between Guatemala and Belize was called for by two OAS officials, Paul Reichler and Shridath Rampahl. The meeting is expected to be attended by Foreign Minister of Guatemala Gabriel Orellana and the Belizean ambassador Assad Shoman, as well as members of the negotiating commissions from both countries. Guatemala demands that Belize return the land of 12,000 square kilometers, almost half of Belize's present total territory. The border dispute could be traced back to 1859 when Guatemala and the United Kingdom signed a border agreement. Disputes surrounding the border demarcation of the two countries tended to flare up after the independence of Belize in 1981. |
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