Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

Guyana reserves the right to a reservation…

Nov 13, 2015 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Guyana, under the PNC, has always dodged the issue of sovereignty of the islands to which both Argentina and Great Britain lay claim. For Argentina, these islands are known as the Malvinas; to the British they are referred to as the Falklands.
It is being reported in social media that Guyana at the recent Arab-South America Summit expressed a reservation on this issue. It is not clear what this means.
The true intention of Guyana could have been lost in the translation. But it could also mean that Guyana expressed a reservation to the agreements reached at the meeting.  Expressing a reservation is one of the means that is adopted in relation to international agreements. There are, for example, international agreements that are signed by governments, but these governments can express a reservation on particular articles of the agreement. In instances when treaties have to be ratified, a country may decide to express a reservation, that is, to state the conditions under which it will be bound by certain aspects of the treaty.
Guyana’s reported “reservation” on the Falklands/ Malvinas issue must therefore not be interpreted as Guyana sitting on the fence and not taking a position.  It could be that Guyana was expressing reservation in relation to the agreements reached at the Summit.
There has been some attempt to spin confusion concerning the position of Guyana on this controversy. There has been an attempt to contrast the position adopted by the PPP government with the position adopted by the PNC government. The PPP’s position is not necessarily at odds with the PNC’s position. The PPP has made it clear where it stands on the issue of sovereignty of the disputed islands, while the PNC has not.
The PNC government have never taken a position on the sovereignty of the islands. This is quite unlike what the media is trying to make out. Burnham never supported Britain’s actions in 1982 to send warships to combat Argentina. He could not, since he was just as opposed to that as he was to Argentina’s military junta’s actions to retake the islands.
The PNC’s position has always been about the use of force and not about sovereignty. Its position has been that it opposed Argentina’s use of force in 1982 to take possession of the islands. The PNC has never said it recognized the islands as belonging to Britain. It never ventured this position, because it was more concerned about the use of force.
The PNC’s position is quite understandable. It had reason to adopt the position that it did. In the face of Venezuela’s claims to Guyana, it was in the interest of the PNC government to reject force as a means of settling the issue of sovereignty.
The PPP on the other hand was always very clear that the islands belonged to Argentina. There was never any dispute within the PPP about this. The PPP supports Argentina’s sovereignty to the islands and rejects Britain’s arguments that the right to self-determination of the people of the islands accords sovereignty to Britain.
The people of the islands have voted overwhelmingly to remain British, but this has little bearing in international law on the question of sovereignty. In fact it can be strongly argued that before the issue of self-determination can be decided, the issue of sovereignty has to be settled.
In so far as the Falklands/ Malvinas islands are concerned, the PPP government had determined where it stood on the question of sovereignty. It stood with the rest of South America with Argentina. This is where the PPP has always stood.
The PNC on the other hand has never made a decision on who owns the islands. It has merely decided that force should not be the means to settle this issue.

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Rutherford gets big payday from Gujarat Titans at IPL 2025 Mega Auction; Shepherd, Powell snapped up by RCB and KKR, respectively

Rutherford gets big payday from Gujarat Titans at IPL 2025 Mega...

Nov 26, 2024

  SportsMax – Guyanese hard-hitting left hander Sherfane Rutherford will get the opportunity to shine on T20 franchise cricket’s biggest stage once again after being picked up by the...
Read More
Roach and Seales star as West Indies close in on Antigua Test victory

Roach and Seales star as West Indies close in on...

Nov 26, 2024

Delroy Tyrrell continues to excel at Oneonta State University

Delroy Tyrrell continues to excel at Oneonta...

Nov 26, 2024

Ramdass Royals Crowned Champions of the Inaugural Windies Masters Cricket Extravaganza

Ramdass Royals Crowned Champions of the Inaugural...

Nov 26, 2024

KFC Guyana distance self from delayed payment of GFF Elite League prizes

KFC Guyana distance self from delayed payment of...

Nov 26, 2024

Ravens and Royals ready for epic Elite 16 final showdown

Ravens and Royals ready for epic Elite 16 final...

Nov 26, 2024

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]