Latest update November 28th, 2024 3:00 AM
Dec 17, 2023 Court Stories, ExxonMobil, Features / Columnists, News, Oil & Gas
Kaieteur News – During a historic meeting on Thursday between Presidents Dr. Irfaan Ali and Nicolas Maduro, many observed the sizable chunk of documents the Venezuelan Head of State was furnished with.
Those documents were materials being used by Venezuela to bolster their outrageous claims over two thirds of Guyana, known as Essequibo.
Revealing this in a public statement was the Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall S.C.
He explained, “many would have seen that President Nicolas Maduro had with him at the meeting, several volumes of documents. Many of those were compilations of public statements made on this matter, critical commentaries on the operations of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and the several legal proceedings filed in relation thereto – all extracted from the local media.”
He went on to note, “These are materials which Venezuela is using to bolster their narrative. Whatever weight is placed upon them, they certainly do not and will not assist Guyana in any form or fashion.”
The Attorney General therefore urged, “those who wish to travel this road by making such statements, or taking such actions, must now become alive to this consequential reality.”
The AG was part of Guyana’s delegation that participated in the high level talks with President Maduro in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
He was keen to point out that while Guyana came out of the Argle engagement without ceding any of its positions but gained much.
Be that as it may, he noted that the nation now awaits to see whether the commitments made on paper will materialize.
A major declaration made by the two countries is to avoid the use of force or threats amid the ongoing border dispute.
The AG said that should these commitments be trampled on, it would only serve to solidify Guyana’s position for future engagements.
Meanwhile, the Legal Affairs Minister also explained that while historically, there was an insistence on the avoidance of the term ‘dispute’ in reference to the issue at hand, the matter has since evolved.
He noted, “It has been submitted by Guyana to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for adjudication and the Court has assumed jurisdiction over the matter.
The jurisdiction of a Court of Law is activated only to resolve legal disputes, not controversies. Indeed, there is a whole school of jurisprudential thought that compels a Court to decline jurisdiction if there is no real or bona fide dispute between the parties before it.
He went on to point out that the ICJ in its judgment granting provisional measures used the term “dispute” and “territory in dispute” seamlessly and interchangeably. Therefore, he reasoned that this objection is one overtaken by events and bears no merit.
Nov 28, 2024
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