{
نام
Емини
Geraun Belize
1/413/+
Mr Webb Mr Payne
West Meeting
Reference. HKS O2512. Sister PA
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23 APR 1981 OLA.
DEK OFFICER
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Monday morning livi
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BELIZE:
PRESS CONFERENCE
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сестрин JD Mr Day (end.
13/4 mrwalts:
1. Mr Webb, Mr McCrory and I attended a press conference at the House of Commons on 9 April given by Professor Edward Laing of the University of Maryland School of Law, representing the Belize Chamber of Commerce and a number of civic groups in Belize and Mr Hubert Elrington, a Crown Counsel in Belize and representing the Public Service Union I attach a press release which contains a lot of material drawn from the Belize Chamber of Commerce Memor- andum. The conference was attended by David Adamson (Daily Telegraph), Patrick Keatley (Guardian), Hugh O'Shaughnessy (Financial Times), Tom McMullen (Press Association) and one other journalist. The conference was sponsored by Dr Miller MP who described himself as an impartial but very interested observer having visited Belize on several occasions.
2. Laing and Elrington were not very impressive; they spoke for too long and did not give clear answers to questions. At times they appeared to be at odds with each other and Dr Miller added to the confusion by attempting to distill their arguments but in doing so making different points to those put forward by the Belizeans.
3.
The main points put forward by Laing and Elrington were:
(a) Everyone in Belize wanted independence but at least 80% would reject the present Heads of Agreement in a referendum. A referendum on the Heads of Agreement should be held before, independence. They wanted to be associated with re-drafting the Heads of Agreement.
(3) The Heads of Agreement vere part of an OECD plot to ensure guaranteed supply of Guatemalan oil to OECD countries. The oil pipelines across Belize would split the country, attract guerrillas, and require Guatemalan soldiers to guard it and the associated facilities (including protection by the Guatemalan Navy of the terminals). Thus if there were any hostilities with Guatemala the presence of these soldiers in Belize would not give the Belizeans a chance.
(c) The Constitutional Conference is a mockery. The Belize Government delegation was led by a man who was rejected by the people at the last election and is an individual with a murky past during his youth in the USA. In addition the delegation's main spokesman, Harry Courtenay, was a member of a Belizean law firm representing several oil companies.
(d)
The Belizean Constitutional proposals will provide for a dictatorial constitution. The human rights provisions are a
2005 18-77
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