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Granger to brief CARICOM heads on Guyana/Venezuela border controversy
President David Granger will be attending the 38th Regular Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government, slated to convene Tuesday in Grenada. 
President Granger, who is the outgoing Chairman of the conference, will address the opening ceremony of the meeting, and will take the opportunity to brief his fellow Heads of State, on the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy.
This was disclosed by Guyana’s State Minister, Joseph Harmon, during the recent post-Cabinet Press briefing that was held at the Ministry of the Presidency, Georgetown.
The two-day confabulation will be held under the Chairmanship of the Grenadian Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell.
Guyana’s border controversy with its western neighbour Venezuela, relates to more than a century-old row which arose as a result of Venezuela’s contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899 was null and void. However, it was stated on numerous occasions that the 1899 Award had “definitely” settled the boundary between the two South American nations.
On 26 May 2015 – Guyana’s Independence Day – Venezuela issued a decree titled, “Presidential Decree 1.787 of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” which was revised on 8 June 2015.
Venezuela’s claim would come some weeks after US oil giant, ExxonMobil, struck oil offshore Guyana, an area that is within the disputed zone.
This decree laid claim to all the Atlantic waters off the Essequibo coast of Guyana, and affected the maritime space of not only Guyana, but also of a number of other Member States, it was reported.
In response to this act by Venezuela, CARICOM had emphasised the need for peace and stability as the basis for enhancing regional cooperation and the development of both countries.
During the 36th Regular Meeting of Heads of Government, in Barbados, the Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart, the then-Chair of CARICOM, reiterated CARICOM’s position of “total support for the integrity of Guyana’s territory and maritime space. He had noted that CARICOM was committed to assisting Venezuela and Guyana in this dispute, preferring at all times a peaceful solution.
Ambassador Dag Nylander, the personal representative of United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres, was appointed as part of the ‘Good Officer’ process.
Since then, Nylander and other UN officials would have visited Guyana and Venezuela to gather information.
The UN Secretary General had outlined in his decision that if by the end of 2017, he concludes that significant progress had not been made toward arriving at a full agreement for a resolution, he will choose the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as the next means of settlement – unless, the countries jointly request that he refrain from doing so.
Meanwhile, Guyana has been using a number of international forums to complain about Venezuela’s alleged aggression, including CARICOM.
Venezuela’s claim is almost for the entire Essequibo, the largest county in Guyana, a mineral-rich area known more for its vast areas of untouched forests. It is home to thousands of Guyanese.
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