Heads of Agreement Crisis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Heads of Agreement Crisis was a national security crisis in the Central American nation of Belize in March and April of 1981, occasioned by the rejection of a set of proposals that would have formed the basis of negotiations with hostile neighbour Guatemala over its claim to Belizean territory. It was one of the most severe threats to national security in Belize's colonial history (it did not become independent until September of that year).
Contents |
[edit] Background: The Guatemalan claim
Guatemala, Belize's neighbour to the west and south, has held a claim to Belize's territory which it says stems from a broken treaty signed between Guatemala and Great Britain in 1851. This treaty was said to have promised Guatemala access to the Caribbean coastline by road in exchange for dropping the claim; when the road did not materialize, after a time period, Guatemala took up the claim again.
Much of the period between 1940 and 1981 saw Guatemala assert its claim over and over again, occasionally even threatening to invade, but backing down at the sight of UK military reinforcements. Several attempts to mediate the dispute went awry due to concerns on both sides of the border. Meanwhile, people of Guatemalan descent were settling in Belize, both legally and illegally.
Beginning in 1975, the dispute was publicized at the United Nations. The UN general assembly voted in successive years from 1975 to 1981 to affirm the sovereignty of Belize and called on the UK and Guatemala to reach a compromise and grant Belize independence before the end of the next GA session in 1981.
[edit] The Heads of Agreement
In January of 1981, Premier of Belize George Cadle Price announced that Belize would be independent by the end of 1981 and that Government was at work on solving the claim. In mid-March, he and the rest of the negotiating team, including Assad Shoman, returned from London with a series of topics that would form the basis for future negotiations, but were not proposals in themselves to end the claim. "The Heads of Agreement" as they came to be called had sixteen clauses, discussing issues of economics, national security, borders, cooperation and other things.
Among the more controversial Heads was one proposing to offer usage and enjoyment of the Ranguana and Sapodilla Cayes to Guatemala as may be agreed. Other controversial topics included free port and road usage and the question of maritime boundaries.
[edit] Reception in Belize
Public reaction in Belize was muted at first, but the Public Service Union promptly denounced the agreement as a giveaway and promised strike action. The Government's pleas that nothing had actually been agreed on fell on deaf ears. Another group responsible for the anti-Heads reaction was the Belize Action Movement, a youth movement featuring young people who saw the need to fight to ensure that Belize did not fall into the hands of Guatemala. The BAM and PSU coordinated a nationwide strike and protest on March 20.
Also central to the movement was the detention of students from the Belize Technical College, led by Socorro Bobadilla. Miss Bobadilla was a key figure in denouncing the plan, and she and six other students were expelled from Technical by its principal. For much of the remainder of March, there were school closings, daily protests and in one case, the death of an individual in Corozal. Another memorable occurrence was the burning down of several buildings in the downtown area of Belize City. During this melee, Policeman and musician Kent Matthews was accidentally shot by a colleague.
The Governor declared a state of emergency on April 3; subsequent attempts to use the Heads as a blueprint failed, and Belize would become independent on September 21, 1981.
[edit] In popular culture
- The Heads of Agreement Crisis was frequently compared to the 2005 protests in Belize.
- This crisis almost cemented the obstinacy of Belizeans on the issue of the claim.
- Zee Edgell's second novel, In Times Like These, describes a similar uprising in Belize featuring her main character.
