BRITISH HONDURAS (Hansard, 30 March 1960)

§ 29 Mr. Selwyn Lloyd

Yes. The following is the text of Notes delivered by the Guatemalan Charge d'Affaires in London on 5th and 24th February and of my replies of 15th and 29th February.

NOTES EXCHANGED BY GUATEMALAM CHARGÉ D'AFFAIRES AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Guatemalan Chargé d'Affaires' Note of February 5

I have the great honour to address Your Excellency to bring to your notice that the Government of my country considers that any decision which the Government of Your Excellency may take with regard to the future of the Guatemalan territory of Belice, will not affect in any way the rights of Guatemala.

In requesting Your Excellency to be good enough to take the above into consideration, I have pleasure in taking this opportunity of renewing to you the assurance of my highest and most distinguished consideration.

Foreign Office reply of February 15

Sir,

I have received your Note No. 66/11 of February 5 which refers to "the Guatemalan territory of Belice".

Her Majesty's Government are not aware of the existence of any such territory. If a reference to British Honduras is intended, Her Majesty's Government do not accept that Guatemala's claim to sovereignty over the territory has any validity. Decisions about the future of the territory are matters for the Government of British Honduras and Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, since sovereignty over the territory resides exclusively in the British Crown.

I have the honour to be, etc.

Guatemalan Chargé's Note of February

I have the great honour to address myself to Your Excellency, in order to deliver to you a formal protest in the name of my Government in regard to the decision, recently adopted by the British Government, to include within the Commonwealth the Guatemalan Territory of Belice, granting it semi-autonomy. In the face of this decision I must make it clear to you that Guatemala reserves to herself the right to take the necessary measures which the circumstances require in defence of her rights of sovereignty.

I hereby confirm the protests which my Government have made on previous occasions to the Government of Your Excellency in defence of the legitimate rights which Guatemala possesses over the territory of Belice.

In requesting Your Excellency to be good enough to take the above into consideration, 135W I have pleasure in taking the opportunity to renew the assurances of my highest and most distinguished consideration.

Foreign Office reply of February

Sir,

I have received your undated Note No. 102, which refers to "the Guatemalan territory of Belice". As was pointed out in my Note of the 15th of February, Her Majesty's Government are not aware of the existence of any such territory.

It would seem that the Guatemalan Government's protest is directed against the decisions regarding the future of British Honduras taken at the Conference at the Colonial Office which ended on the 17th of February, 1960. As the Guatemalan Government will be aware, this Conference decided, among other things, on measures to accelerate the progress of British Honduras towards self-government. The Conference also agreed, at the unanimous request of the British Honduran representatives at the Conference, that a declaration should appear in the form of a preamble to the new British Honduras Constitutional Ordinance reaffirming the desire of the people of British Honduras to advance towards self-government within the

NUMBER OF BOYS AND GIRLS PLACED BY THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SERVICE IN FIFE
—		1954–55	1955–56	1956–57	1957–58	1958–59
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
Coalmining	…	558	2	601	6	537	12	425	2	351	3
Engineering	…	199	10	200	28	184	10	110	17	73	8
Building and Contracting	…	132	32	137	19	119	24	104	12	80	21
Textiles	…	48	395	35	412	24	331	15	241	13	245
Paper	…	38	82	26	83	25	92	25	40	26	64
Vehicles	…	36	14	53	24	62	15	41	25	34	21
Distributive Trades	…	62	487	90	508	91	496	106	435	125	371