Reports: Venezuela angered by Guyana’s move to enlarge continental shelf

Sep 27, 2011 News

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A move by Guyana to United Nations to extend its continental shelf by 150 miles has angered neighbouring Venezuela with that government yesterday signaling its intentions to take actions to protect its maritime front.
“The Bolivarian Government, acting responsibly, has started to assess such an irregular situation to give a right answer under International Law, and it is taking the necessary action to preserve the law in its own right with regard to the extent of its maritime front,” Venezuela’s eluniversal.com online news reported that government as saying yesterday.

According to the news report yesterday- there were two of them- the Venezuelan government promised to “continue advocating the country’s pivotal interests in the firmest manner by means of internationally established mechanisms of dialogue” and reasserted its commitment to the Good Offices of the UN General Secretariat with regard to the claim of Essequibo.
In an issued press release, Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is replying to a report submitted by Guyana to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, according to which, “there are not relevant disputes on the region linked to this submission, related to the outside boundaries of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.”
As a result, the Venezuelan claim of Essequibo has been disregarded, the Venezuela release reportedly said.
The Venezuelan government is further reported as saying it “received on September 7, 2011 an official notice that the government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana had submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf a presentation on the outer boundaries of Guyana’s continental shelf, within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, to which that country is a party.”
Meanwhile, another report has quoted opposition congressman, Carlos Berrizbeitia, as calling on the High Military Command to take a stance on what he termed “violation of sovereignty” concerning Essequibo.
“The armed forces should not be silent on Guyana’s public intention to take hold of a territory that is being claimed, as it belongs to Venezuela,” the parliamentarian said.
“The silence of (President Hugo) Chávez’s administration made them accomplices (…) We cannot understand that a government which cries out that the country’s sovereignty should not be surrendered to any empire, says nothing in the face of glaring violation of our sovereignty,” he wondered.
It will be recalled that on September 7, Guyana’s Foreign Ministry announced that a submission for an extended continental shelf to a limit of 150 nautical miles from the 200 nautical mile outer limit of the exclusive economic zone of coastal states.
Guyana had commissioned a desktop study in 2002 to determine, from data available both in Guyana and overseas, whether Guyana met the basic criteria to make a claim to an extended continental shelf. The study indicated it could be done.
According to Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkette, in a statement on September 7, the Maritime Zones Act which came into force last year, constituted another key component of the Government of Guyana’s strategy which is aimed at ensuring that Guyana and Guyanese can benefit from the resources in its maritime zones and to protect the country’s rights to them.
In May 2009, Guyana provided initial information to the Secretary General of the United Nations, regarding Guyana’s claim to an extended continental shelf.
The September 7 submission is expected to be formally and orally presented by Guyana to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf at its next session in April next year, Rodrigues-Birkette announced.
She noted that given the workload of that Commission, it will be some years before Guyana’s submission is examined by that body and for it to make recommendations on the outer limit of Guyana’s extended continental shelf.
“Guyana has acted in its interest and has taken action to ensure that in the future it has the legal basis to benefit from and protect its rights,” Rodrigues Birkett stated.
Over the past week, there have been rumblings in Venezuela’s media over the move with concerns expressed over the long simmering dispute over Essequibo, which that neighbouring country is claiming a significant part of.
The same website reported last week that one fringe group has started its protests to whip up Venezuela’s sentiments by distributing maps of Venezuela showing Essequibo as part of that country’s territory.
The Minister could not be contacted yesterday.

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