§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on how many incursions by(a) Guatemalan military personnel and (b) other Guatemalans into Belize there have been this year; and what was the response in each case.
§ Mr. SainsburyI have been asked to reply.
We are not aware of any incursions by Guatemalan military personnel. A group of Guatemalan civilians established an illegal settlement in March in Belizean territory at Santiago Jalacte close to the border with Guatemala.
The Belize authorities gave the Guatemalans three months' notice to leave so that they could harvest their crops before departure. But we understand that the settlement was abandoned in May following incidents involving local Belizeans.