Territorial claim…Venezuela plans to up pressure to weaken Guyana’s resistance – Greenidge warns

Jun 11, 2015 News

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By Abena Rockcliffe
“For 49 years we have lived in the shadow of Venezuela’s illegal claim and attempts to despoil our country. The sword of Damocles, for the most part unseen, hangs over our heads. Unless removed, it will be the legacy that will be inherited by our children. It is time to end this cycle. A definitive solution has to be found that will put to rest Venezuela’s contention of nullity.”

So said Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge in an address to the National Assembly, yesterday.
Greenidge was at the time speaking to Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territory. While Greenidge spoke, he had the attention of Venezuela’s ambassador to Guyana, Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz, who was there yesterday to witness the convening of parliament.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on May 27, 2015 issued a decree, extending Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territorial waters. A map which was issued, accompanying the decree, shows that the claim includes the area where the US giant oil company, ExxonMobil is currently drilling for oil.
Yesterday, Greenidge said that the decree has given notice that Venezuela intends to continue increasing the pressure on Guyana and to weaken this country’s resistance to Venezuela’s illegal claim. “We will not waiver in our resistance,” he said.
He told the House that the issuance of a decree is well within President Maduro’s constitutional right. But it is not within his right  to utilize the sovereign territory of Guyana to generate maritime territory to meet Venezuela’s “illegal” ambitions which, Greenidge said is exactly what the decree purports to do.
Greenidge noted that the decree mandates the Venezuelan Navy to secure the disputed area and the resources of the area.
Greenidge described the decree as a baseless and shameless act intended to deny Guyana its legitimate right to continue the pursuit of existing developmental initiatives.
The Foreign Minister said that the decree negates the very commitments assented to by Venezuela in numerous international and regional fora regarding the peaceful settlement of disputes. “Guyana condemns this decree in the strongest possible terms.”
Greenidge made note that the Venezuelan Government is claiming that it has done nothing wrong in issuing the decree.
“What then really is Venezuela’s intention in taking this illegal step?”
The Minister chronicled the long line of similar encounters that Guyana has had with Venezuela.
He noted as well Venezuela’s illegal occupation of Guyana’s half of the island of Ankoko—an Essequibo island in the Cuyuni River—- and “the many attempts at hindering development of this region several of these acts of military, para military and economic aggression have been well documented.”
Greenidge recalled that in 2013 a Venezuelan naval vessel seized a seismic vessel conducting surveys in Guyana’s maritime space on behalf of Anadarko, a Company that had been granted exploration rights.
Nevertheless, Greenidge said that, even after all of that, no reasonable observer could have possibly anticipated that Venezuela could ever regard the position where the Deep Water Champion is located as even remotely falling within the areas claimed by Venezuela.
“Clearly we all underestimated Venezuela’s appetite for territory,” said Greenidge.
The Minister told the House that efforts at getting Venezuela to do the logical and reasonable thing, namely, sitting down to discuss the issue of maritime delimitation have to date proved futile.
He added that Guyana has always sought the principled route in response to Venezuela’s persistent and continuing acts of aggression and will continue to do so.
“We have been in contact with several members of the international community and have made special approaches to other Member States of the Caribbean and of the Commonwealth from whom we have consistently received support in the past to our just cause.
“Other steps are being taken to ensure that Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are not compromised in any way and, that our sovereign right to develop this great country free from threats and acts of economic aggression remains untrammelled.”
Greenidge said that the Geneva Agreement of 1966 remains the best hope for keeping the issue between Guyana and Venezuela from going totally out of control. “The mandate of the Secretary General of the United Nations under this Agreement is quite clear.
Greenidge noted that for more than 25 years, “the Good Offices Process, as one of the chosen means of peaceful settlement, has been in operation. Unhappily, it has signally failed to resolve the issue.”
Nevertheless, Greenidge said that Guyana stands ready to continue discussions with Venezuela with respect to bilateral relations while “we” pursue a peaceful settlement within the framework of the Geneva Agreement where the UN Secretary General has a defined role.

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