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Guyana must intensify int’l campaign for support in Venezuela controversy – Ramkarran
Kaieteur News -Former Speaker of the National Assembly and Leader of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Ralph Ramkarran, has posited that Guyana must work hard to gain wider support in the international community so it can secure its victory in the border controversy with Venezuela.
He said that this will require an expansion of Guyana’s border department.
Advisor to Foreign Minister on Borders, Ralph Ramkarran
“The combination of the weakness of Venezuela’s case and adverse international opinion has protected Guyana so far from more severe depredations by Venezuela.” Ramkarran wrote in a January 23 post in his blog, Conversation Tree. “As the situation moves to its inevitable denouement, Guyana must protect itself by dramatically intensifying its efforts.”
Ramkarran’s recommendation came with much urgency as, just days earlier, the Venezuela Navy Vessel, Commandante Hugo Chavez GC 24, had intercepted two Guyanese fishing vessels, Lady Nayera and Sea Wolf, just off the coast at Waini Point and ordered the crews to navigate their way to Port Guiria, Venezuela to be held. The vessels were in Guyana’s territory but Venezuela has lately reinvigorated its claims on the Essequibo, which it calls ‘Guayana Esequiba’.
The fishermen returned to Guyana days ago, after Venezuela released them from illegal detention. But the Bolivarian Republic’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Jorge Arreaza has warned Guyana that Venezuela “will not allow illegal incursions of any kind into its territory…”
Earlier in January, the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro had made a presidential decree, reinforcing the country’s claim to Guyana’s Essequibo Region, and tweeted a vow to “reconquer” it.
“The only obstacle to more aggressive activity by Venezuela is international opinion.” Ramkarran said in his blog post. “Venezuela understands that the international community will not countenance its physical seizure of Guyana’s territory which was awarded by an Arbitral Tribunal in 1899 which Venezuela accepted for six decades.”
By making the decree, Venezuela sought to establish the ‘Territory for the Development of the Atlantic Façade of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’ which would include Guyana’s territory and its maritime space which endows it with billions of oil-equivalent barrels of proven reserves.
Ramkarran said that the decree has exposed Venezuela’s declarations of peaceful intentions to have always been fig leaves in its drive to take Guyana’s territory.
“The Venezuelan government has, on this occasion, gone further than at any time in the past, in trampling on Guyana’s sovereignty and provocatively increasing tension.” Ramkarran said. “This can only be viewed as international banditry and exposes Venezuela’s and Maduro’s empty claims of desiring a peaceful resolution of the controversy as so much hogwash. Venezuela has blatantly incorporated our territory into its “strategic area” and is preparing to make laws and regulations to manage its plunder.”
Venezuela is already facing increasing isolation in the international stage, as the Caribbean Community (CariCom), the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have all rallied behind Guyana. Its decree appears to have been triggered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which, in December last, ruled that it has the jurisdiction to hear a case filed by Guyana to bring a judicial settlement to the controversy.
Even with this, Ramkarran is of the opinion that an ICJ ruling in Guyana’s favour would only exacerbate Venezuela’s “imperialistic greed and lust for our land, sea space and resources…”
He said that Guyana has to be prepared for worse.
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