SACRED MISSION OF THE UN

Mar 15, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

The bitter border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela rages on with the recent discovery of oil in the Stabroek region in Essequibo. The dispute which nearly provoked a war between the US and Britain and even involved Google Maps to rename the streets in the disputed area in Spanish is being mediated by United Nations (UN) again.
Venezuela had long claimed nearly 40 per cent of Guyana’s current territory, much to the chagrin of the smaller nation. The Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon was unable to broker a deal between the two countries, but history suggests it would not be that simple.
The latest row between Guyana and Venezuela involved military exercises from both countries, which was essentially a bit of grand-standing before the expected meeting between the presidents of the two nations at the UN General Assembly in New York in 2015. President Granger, who accused the Venezuela President of pursing an offensive and aggressive course, had rejected the UN mediation efforts and had insisted that the border dispute should be settled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Since the signing of the Geneva Agreement on February 17, 1966, Guyana has grown tired of the decades old mediation process which has not led to a resolution. It has lobbied the UN for the controversy to be taken to the ICJ. It is convinced that there is no higher tribunal capable of settling its long-standing border dispute with Venezuela.
According to President Granger, the border dispute is essentially a legal question and requires a legal process to settle it.
The bad blood between the two countries dates back to the 19th century when Venezuela disputed a claim by Britain as to exactly where the division between the two nations lay. The line, known as the Schomburgk Line, is named after the German explorer Robert Schomburgk who was commissioned by Britain in 1835 to conduct a geological survey of the territory.
It was during the diplomatic spat between Venezuela and the UK that the US government, which backed Venezuela, threatened war on London if it refused to retract its claims to the territory. War was averted by an agreement to have the dispute settled by international arbitration. The 1899 tribunal decision appeared to have settled the dispute between Venezuela and Guyana. However, the 1949 publication of a memorandum written by a US lawyer on behalf of Caracas sparked a new controversy. The lawyer contended that the tribunal had favoured Britain’s claims as a result of alleged collusion between London and the Russian chair of the tribunal.
The recent discovery of oil off the coast of Guyana led Venezuela to renew its territorial claim, and then extended it out to sea thus leaving Guyana effectively landlocked. Venezuela’s anger was stoked further by the fact that the discovery was made by the US oil firm, Exxon Mobil which President Maduro had accused of holding Guyana hostage.
The discovery of oil in the disputed region intensified the political rhetoric between Caracas and Georgetown with Venezuela sourcing its rice supplies from elsewhere after halting the sale of oil to Guyana.
Both have accepted the outgoing UN Secretary General’s proposal that mediation should again be tried for one year and if a permanently solution is not reached, the UN Secretary General will refer the issue to the ICJ as the next means of settlement.
Despite his objection to mediation through the Good Offices, President Granger has welcomed the recent UN appointment of a Norwegian diplomat to mediate the border dispute.

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