§ 14. Mr. McWilliamTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent talks held in Miami on the border dispute between Guatemala and Belize. [149715]
§ Mr. BattleWe welcome the talks between Belize and Guatemala held under the auspices of the Organisation of American States (OAS). After a constructive meeting in Miami on 16 and 17 January they signed a Plan of Action to implement an Agreement on Confidence Building Measures which they had agreed in Washington on 8 November 2000.
At further talks in Washington on 5–7 February they agreed a process for addressing the substantive aspects of their border dispute. They have agreed to hold a Ministerial meeting in Washington on 21–23 May.
We welcome the constructive spirit in which these talks are being conducted.