Venezuela border controversy… Granger to remind UN Chief that Guyana wants definitive solution

Sep 26, 2017 News

Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge

President David Granger was scheduled to meet with United Nations’ (UN) Secretary General, António Guterres, yesterday to discuss the ongoing Venezuelan border controversy.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, in a brief statement yesterday in New York, disclosed that Guyana “will draw to his attention the concerns of Guyana that this matter be resolved in a definitive manner and to impress upon him that he has obligations as it regards time and the manner of resolution.”
A Government statement made it clear that the country has not shifted from the original position.
“The Government of Guyana stands firmly on the position that a judicial course of action is the only means through which this matter can be permanently resolved.”
Before demitting Officer, former Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon gave a commitment that the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy will be referred to the International Court of Justice if an agreement is not reached by December 2017.
The UN appointed a Good Officer, who reported directly to the Secretary-General. Both neighbours were given a year until December 31, 2017 to work things out. Failing this, the matter would go to the court.
Earlier yesterday, the Government of Guyana said that Venezuela indicated to the UN that they are interested in an amicable settlement with Guyana with regard to this matter and Minister Greenidge said that Guyana welcomes this stance.
“We are concerned that the state in which Guyana has found itself over the last 51 years starting from the time of Independence…this has really been unbearable in many ways. It contributed in a large part, to the difficulties in which Guyana finds itself and the Agreement of 1966 was never intended to lead to a perpetuation or lead to Guyana being [in] suspended animation as regards to claims on territory that has always been part of Guyana,” the Minister said.
In essence, Venezuela is claiming a large swath of the county of Essequibo, including parts of the Atlantic Ocean where oil has been discovered by US-owned, ExxonMobil.
To punish Guyana, Venezuela in 2015, shortly after the Coalition Government took office, halted an oil-for-rice deal, forcing Guyana to search for new markets of the grain.
Venezuela is facing major economic problems, including shortages of basic items, like toilet paper.

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