The Heads of Agreement was a 1981 document proposing a solution to the Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory.[1] Created in February and signed on 11 March 1981 in London,[2] the agreement sought to propose future bases for negotiations between the United Kingdom, Belize and Guatemala over the dispute.[3] The document's rejection created a national security crisis in Belize in March and April 1981.
See main article: Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory. Guatemala, Belize's neighbour to the west and south, had held a claim to Belize's territory since 1859.[2] The claim stemmed from a treaty between Guatemala and Great Britain which Guatemala interpreted as a conditional cession treaty, in which it would be given access to the Caribbean coastline by road in exchange for dropping the claim.[3] Guatemala already has Caribbean access, outside of the presently disputed region.
Guatemala asserted its claim repeatedly in the period between 1940 and 1981, occasionally threatening to invade, but backing down when faced with UK military reinforcements. Several attempts to mediate the dispute failed. Meanwhile, people of Guatemalan descent were settling in Belize, both legally and illegally.
Beginning in 1975, the dispute was discussed at the United Nations. The UN general assembly voted in 1980 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.[3]
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 20 March.
Also central to the movement was the detention of students from the Belize Technical College, led by Socorro Bobadilla. 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 3 April.[2] Subsequent attempts to use the Heads as a blueprint failed, and Belize would become independent on 21 September 1981.
With the subsiding of the March and April riots, negotiations began on 20 May 1981 in New York. Belizean ministers C. L. B. Rogers, V. H. Courtenay and Assad Shoman represented Belize. The opposition United Democratic Party, claiming that they had been ignored and insulted, refused to attend. This first round of negotiations yielded no results.
A second round began in early July after the UDP met with British Foreign Secretary Nicholas Ridley. Again there was no clear settlement and the British resolved to grant Belize independence and agree to defend the territory. The proclamation for Belize's independence was signed on 26 July 1981, coming into force on 21 September 1981.[3]