UN court to hear territorial dispute

BELIZE CITY: Citizens in Belize have voted to ask the United Nations’ world court to decide Guatemala’s claim it is the rightful owner of half of Belize’s territory, setting the scene for a resolution to a dispute that has rumbled on for centuries.

In a referendum held on Thursday, 55.4% of voters opted to send the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, according to results published by Belize’s elections and boundaries department yesterday.

The remaining 44.6% of voters in the former British colony in Central America opposed the motion to ask the court.

In April 2018, Guatemalans voted by an overwhelming majority to have the ICJ rule on the dispute, which stretches back to the dawn of the colonial era in the Americas.

Guatemala’s government applauded the result and said it would immediately contact the foreign ministry of Belize to agree the next steps in the process. — Reuters