Ban Welcomes Progress Made On Territorial Dispute between Belize and Guatemala
New York, Nov 20 2012 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon salutes the progress made by Belize and Guatemala
under the auspices of the Organization of American States to resolve their longstanding territorial dispute, according
to his spokesperson.
"He welcomes their decision to hold simultaneous referenda on 6 October 2013 to consult their populations on referring
the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)," the spokesperson added in a news statement.
According to media reports, over the years, the long-running dispute between the two Central American countries has led
to tensions.
The spokesperson noted that Belize and Guatemala have requested financial support from the international community for
the referenda and possible eventual legal proceedings.
"The Secretary-General believes that this process is in line with the objective of pacific settlement of disputes
enshrined in the United Nations Charter and merits international support," the spokesperson added.
Established in 1945 under the UN Charter, the ICJ - sometimes referred to as the World Court - settles legal disputes
between States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by authorized UN organs or
specialized agencies.
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
ENDS