OAS Declines to Condemn Guatemala Despite Regional Criticism

While Belize condemns the hostilities from the Guatemalan Armed Forces, and while the Caribbean Community and the COPPPAL has also issued a statement of disapproval, the OAS says it is not in a position to condemn the actions of Guatemala.

Albert Ramdin, Secretary General, OAS: “The OAS is not here to condemn anybody. That’s not the way, at least under my leadership, it will be happy. We want to remain informed by both governments. We expect both governments to be responsible at the right political level so that escalation is avoided but also the right message is given to their expected populations. And so far that has happened. So we, at the same time, will appeal to both countries not to do anything, not to take any action that can jeopardize the process which has been ongoing, which was an agreed process towards the ICJ. So we will await that outcome but at the same time hold both countries are accountable to what has been agreed in 2005 and before that in 2000. So it is not so much to condemn or we will discuss this but at the right level and given the sensitivities often through diplomatic checks.”