Guyana to crusade against Venezuela’s spurious border claims

GUYANA’S PRESIDENT IRFAAN ALI PLANS UPDATING HIS REGIONAL
COUNTERPARTS about the recent plan hatched between the Venezuelan government and the
opposition to bolster that country’s century-old spurious claims to some 75 precent of this
country’s territory.
President Ali also plans notifying the mediators about the compact brokered between the
Venezuelan government and the opposition about the country’s controversial claims to Guyanese
lands in the ‘Cinderella’ County, the Essequibo.
Guyana and Venezuela, through the February 1966 Geneva Agreement, have been approaching
the UN Secretary-General to help resolve the controversy following the latter’s contention that
the Arbitral Award of 1899 about the frontier between the two neighbouring countries is null and
void.
Since 1990, the UN has used the Good Offices Process to help resolve the controversy, but
Venezuela has been intransigent, especially under the current President.
The Guyanese President was expected to utilise a virtual Special Emergency Meeting this
morning Dr Ali to update CARICOM heads. Ali also plans updating ECLAC (the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States) during an upcoming meeting in Mexico.
The Guyanese leader will also raise the issue at the UN, via Secretary-General, Mr. António
Guterres.
Last week Monday’s accord between the Venezuelan President and Opposition Leader “is an
overt threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana,” the government said in a
statement blast week. It said “Guyana cannot be used as an altar of sacrifice for settlement of
Venezuela’s internal political differences” since the matter is with the pertinent authority.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled last December that it has jurisdiction to decide on
the border controversy between the neighbouring states.
It stated that the boundary between the two States was fixed in an 1899 Arbitral Award.
Venezuela is opposed to the ICJ and its ruling.    However, Guyana is seeking to obtain a final
and binding judgement that will clearly state that the Essequibo region is indisputably part of this
country.
Guyana applauded the ICJ ruling.
“We have embraced that route, which is the ICJ and we’re committed to that route. That route is
the rule of law and that is where the matter resides, not in any sideshow or any other
engagement,” President Ali said.
He noted that the countries that arranged the meeting to help resolve Venezuela’s internal issues,
should understand that the controversial agreement has wider implications.
“The controversy that exists on the border has nothing to do with their internal issues and it has
already been determined where that issue would be settled, and it’s the ICJ, what we can ask
those countries (the mediators of last week’s meeting) to do, is to encourage Venezuela to
participate and be active with the ICJ,” President Ali counselled.