By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 11, 2023 – In a statement released over the weekend, Bahamas Prime Minister Philip E. Davis declared that The Commonwealth of The Bahamas “supports the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as was settled in accordance with the 1899 arbitral award.”
“These borders have defined the territory of Guyana since its independence in 1966,” the statement noted. “I am disheartened that after all that CARICOM has done to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela during a most trying economic and political period in its history that Venezuela should now seek to annex territory in a CARICOM state.”
The statement added, “The Bahamas demands that Venezuela respect the settled borders and abide by the 1 December 2023 ruling of the International Court of Justice, and to refrain from any actions that would disturb these existing borders.”
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Secretary General, Sir Shridath Ramphal has offered his support for the talks set for Thursday, December 14, 2023, in St Vincent and the Grenadines between President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Hosted by that country’s Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, also in attendance at the meeting “will be Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio “Lula” Da Silva, Heads of State of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a United Nations Under-Secretary General, and members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC),“ according to The Guyana Chronicle.
Sir Shridath said in a statement released today that it is important that the limits of the talks are understood and that “false expectations” should not be encouraged.
The meeting brokered by CARICOM and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) has raised questions about exactly what will be discussed since Guyana has made it clear that the border controversy and the path for its settlement at the International Court of Justice are not up for deliberation.
Sir Shridath also applauded CARICOM for its role in the process.
“For decades, CARICOM has been the most vocal and consistent supporter of Guyana with regard to the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy. Never was that support more evident than when its Heads of Government held an emergency meeting in that context on 8 December 2023. They did not falter. CARICOM Heads repeated where they stood on the most critical aspects of the current situation”, he said.
He noted that CARICOM said in a statement of December 8 that they firmly support Guyana in the pursuance of the resolution of the border controversy through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and urged Venezuela to respect the conservatory orders set by the ICJ in its recent ruling pending a final resolution of the matter. Sir Shridath also noted that CARICOM reiterated its commitment to the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and the maintenance of international law.
“It is in that context, and with perfect awareness that the Guyana-Venezuela matter is under consideration by the ICJ and that the Court’s proceedings cannot be compromised, that CARICOM Heads have called for an `appropriate’ dialogue between the leaders of Guyana and Venezuela: to ensure `peaceful co-existence’, `the application and respect for international law’, and `the avoidance of the use of threats of force’”, Sir Shridath said.
He said that there was no call for any discussion on the controversy over the Essequibo.
“It is within those parameters that Guyana’s President has responded positively to the Region’s call for an `appropriate’ dialogue with Venezuela’s President. Guyana has always urged Venezuela in the direction of peaceful co-existence. All Guyanese should bolster President Ali’s efforts in this regard.
“If President Maduro responds in like manner, CARICOM’s efforts will have the reward of deference to not only regional but international norms of peace and security”, he said.
On Tuesday, December 5, a day after Maduro got the victory he sought in a weekend referendum on whether to claim sovereignty over the region that is at the center of the dispute, Maduro directed the country’s state-owned companies to “immediately” begin to explore and exploit the oil, gas and mines in Guyana’s Essequibo region, a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals that Venezuela claims as its own.
Maduro said he would “immediately” proceed “to grant operating licenses for the exploration and exploitation of oil, gas and mines in the entire area of our Essequibo.” He also ordered the creation of local subsidiaries of Venezuelan public companies, including oil giant PDVSA and mining conglomerate Corporación Venezolana de Guayana.
“In addition to the announcement regarding the exploitation of resources in Essequibo, Maduro announced . . . the creation of a new Comprehensive Defense Operational Zone, Zodi in Spanish, for the disputed strip, similar to the special military commands that conduct operations in different regions of the country,” the Associated Press reported.
“The 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) area accounts for two-thirds of Guyana. Yet, Venezuela has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period, and it has long disputed the border decided by international arbitrators in 1899, when Guyana was still a British colony,” The Associated Press added.
