Briceño Pushes Back on Guatemala’s Denial of Air Incursion

Prime Minister John Briceño returned to Belize this afternoon after addressing the United Nations General Assembly. Speaking to reporters at the Philip Goldson International Airport, he responded to Guatemala’s denial that one of its military aircraft entered Belizean airspace.

Guatemala made that denial in a right of reply at the UN, after the Prime Minister raised the incident in his address. Briceño said he doubts Guatemala is being honest about what happened.

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Well, the flight did happen. The evidence is there. You have many amateur people that follow flights with their own app, they saw it. We have evidence here, so there’s nothing to dispute. It happened. It doesn’t matter what they say, because I think the entire world knows that it happened. And of course, probably they’re trying to save face. I don’t know what they’re trying to do. The point is that it happened. They should have never been here on our airspace. And if they wanted to do that they should have one, asked permission from the country. And secondly, they broke an international treaty from AICA that has to do with the transponders, they took off their transponders. They obviously knew that they were in the wrong and were trying to hide it. I was informed a little after it happened. So I think they did find out but guys there are certain things that we can discuss publicly and I think it’s best we leave it at….the important thing is that we knew that they were in our space. If it were you, wouldn’t you do the same? You try to bluff your way out of something and that’s exactly what they’re trying to do , they’re trying to bluff their way and I have confidence on the OAS verification the OAS has been quite even handed in dealing with all of the issues between….sometimes they took too long if you ask me but I think they’ve been even handed in all instances.”

Belize’s defence officials say they examined the flight and found that the aircraft was in Belizean airspace for one hour and ten minutes. Guatemala says the flight never happened. Here is how the dispute unfolded.