Above: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (UN Photo/Mark Garten)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

United Nations Secretary-General “welcomes” apparent progress made by Belize and Guatemala on the ongoing territorial dispute between the two countries, according to a statement.

Belize and Guatemala have sought financial support from the international community for the referenda and potential legal proceedings.

“The Secretary-General salutes the progress made by Belize and Guatemala under the auspices of the Organization of American States to resolve their longstanding territorial dispute,” a spokesperson for Ban said in a statement.

The two states, with help from the OAS, have agreed to hold simultaneous referenda on Oct. 6, 2013 on the question of referring the dispute to the International Court of Justice.

“The Secretary-General believes that this process is in line with the objective of pacific settlement of disputes enshrined in the United Nations Charter and merits international support,” the statement read.