In the face of mounting pressure…Venezuela tones down, withdraws controversial decree

Jul 08, 2015 News

Neighbouring Venezuela, facing severe international backlash for its claims on Guyana’s territory and waters, has withdrawn a controversial decree issued in May.
The Spanish-speaking, oil-rich country, instead, issued a toned down version yesterday that did not show maps that indicated Guyana’s territory and waters as its property.
Rather, the decree spoke mainly of the right of the country’s military to patrol.
On May 26th, the same day that Guyana was swearing in its new President, David Granger, Venezuela issued the orders which mandated its gunships to patrol in water which belonged to Guyana. The maps released not only included a large part of Essequibo, but waters of Guyana in the Atlantic Ocean where US-owned ExxonMobil has found significant evidence of oil.
The claims also infringed on waters of a number of CARICOM states, including Barbados, Trinidad and Suriname.
Over the weekend, CARICOM leaders, in a strong statement following a summit in Barbados where Guyana indicate its displeasure, called for Venezuela to withdraw that May 26th unilateral declaration.
According to a report in Venezuela’s online contrapunto.com, the new decree has not fixed boundaries and poses no decision on land issues.
“Decree 1859 replacing Decree 1787 sought to support and justify the actions of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FanBase) in defending the newly created Integrated Defence Maritime Zones and Island (Zodimain),” the online report said.
It is the intention to set the boundaries, but that has to do only with activities related to the defence.
“Its sole purpose and exclusive range of concerns (is the) protection against threats, risks and other vulnerabilities…”
The decree made it clear that it should not be read as Venezuela abandoning its territorial claims. The Ministries of Defence and Interior Relations and Justice will be tasked with the execution and implementation of the decree.
On Monday, Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, addressed his Parliament, calling for the Opposition to unify with his Government to fight Guyana’s “aggression”. He announced that he was pulling out his ambassador to Guyana, Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz, for consultations, and was reducing the number of embassy staffers as his country reviews diplomatic relations with Guyana.

President David Granger

Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, during his address to the National Assembly

Maduro had cancelled a trip to Barbados, sending his deputy instead.
On Monday, Maduro took his entire executive to the National Assembly.
He is facing severe troubles at home with food shortages and economic turmoil, and the territorial claims have been seen in some quarters as a mere distraction.
His government recently assured that a concessional oil deal under the PetroCaribe arrangement will continue. Guyana itself has a good thing going supplying rice and paddy in return for oil.
It is unclear what happened now to the rice-for-oil deal in which about 30 percent of the rice and paddy exports from this country goes to Venezuela, with the prices among the best being offered.
He insisted Monday that Venezuela was sincere to the people of Guyana in its friendship, but at the same time asked for support from across his country to exercise “a set of actions”.
Without naming anyone, he said that there have been attempts to take up the issue of Essequibo, a large part of which Venezuela is claiming, so that there can be a provocation against the dignity of the Venezuelan people.
He also accused President Granger of being racial to the people of Venezuela and that his country will follow up forcefully by way of international law.
The United Nations is sending a team to Guyana to assess the situation with Venezuela.
On Monday, CARICOM in a communiqué called on Venezuela, “in the spirit of friendship and cooperation, to withdraw those elements of Decree 1787 insofar as they apply to the territory and maritime space of CARICOM states.”