This afternoon in Orange Walk, the Prime Minister commented on the encounter. He said he would be willing to go to the Sarstoon:
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Certainly, it's of grave concern to all Belizeans, including us as a government. And I have to commend the BDF on the way they act with such professionalism, because the reality is that we can't afford a flare-up whereby people are fighting out there, because it's obvious Guatemala is 18 million, we're 400,000. It's a fight we can't win, a physical fight. But we can win that fight diplomatically and in the courts, and that's exactly what we're doing at this moment."
Reporter:
"Are you concerned that not as a matter of fact, but as a matter of force, that we have-we know the Sarstoon is ours-but we have essentially lost it because military and civilians like the BTV are prohibited almost from entering that part of the Sarstoon?"
John Briceno:
"But we have not lost the Sarstoon. We continue to stand our ground. There are instances when these big boats are in front of us with guns. What do you want us to go? We have to face reality. But we are very confident that we continue to win diplomatically when we make it known in the United Nations, or to the OAS, or to the friends of Belize like the Americans and the European Union and the UK, Canada. I was at the Heads of the Commonwealth meeting in Antigua and Barbuda; I brought up the concerns, they took out in their communiqué their continuous support for Belize, so we continue to win on the diplomatic front. And I have every confidence in the court we will also win, and we have been discussing with the Americans, with the UN and the EU and all our partners, that one of the important things is going to be that once that case is over would be the implementation. We have to ensure that Guatemala abides by the ruling."
Reporter:
"We know you went there in 2016; would you go again?"
John Briceno:
"Of course I'd go."
Reporter:
"Soon?"
John Briceno:
"Not soon, but I would go, depending on my agenda."