Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Joint Belize-Guatemala Communique

29 December, 2000 - Belmopan

Senior Ambassador with Ministerial Rank, H.E. Assad Shoman, special
envoy of the Honorable Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize, today met
with the President of the Republic of Guatemala, Lic. Alfonso Portillo
Cabrera, Vice President, Lic. Juan Francisco Reyes Lopez and the Foreign
Minister, Lic. Gabriel Orellana Rojas.

Senior Ambassador Shoman conveyed the personal greetings of the Prime
Minister of Belize to President Portillo. During the courtesy visit
they discussed ways to strengthen efforts and actions, in order to
effectively implement the Agreement on Confidence Building Measures,
signed last November in Washington, D.C.

Foreign Minister Orellana analyzed with Senior Ambassador Shoman, the
Agreement on Confidence Building Measures, particularly those points,
which have been difficult to implement. From these discussions,
possible solutions emerged, which will be submitted for the
consideration of the panel of Facilitators.

The parties agreed to hold a working meeting within the month of
January, prior to the Meeting of Madrid 2001 (Consultative Group of
Central America-European Union) to further discuss pending matters.
They also designated working groups that will meet in the coming weeks
in Guatemala and Belize.

Senior Ambassador will return to Belize Friday, 29th December 2000. His
visit to Guatemala advanced the process of negotiation and strengthened
the friendship between the two States.