By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 23, 2023 — The Caribbean Community (CARICOM has expressed “grave concern” about the contents of “a Communique emanating from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela regarding the announcement made by our sister Member State, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, about its intention to open bids for certain oil blocks in the waters adjacent to Guyana’s coast.”
“CARICOM views the stated intention of Venezuela to ‘apply all the necessary measures’ to prevent the operations licensed by Guyana in its waters as a threat of the use of force contrary to international law,” CARICOM declared in a statement published in CARICOM Today on Friday. “It is also not in keeping with the long-standing position of the Latin American and Caribbean countries that our Region must remain a Zone of Peace.”
The statement added, “CARICOM has also taken note of the decision of the Venezuelan National Assembly to conduct a popular referendum on defending Venezuela’s claim. CARICOM expresses the hope that Venezuela will engage fully in the process before the International Court of Justice, which has determined that it has the jurisdiction in the case brought before it. The Court’s final decision will ensure a resolution that is peaceful, equitable and in accordance with international law.
CARICOM reiterated its “full and unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, including its right to peacefully develop the resources of its territory.”
Meanwhile, the Organization of American States (OAS) General Secretariat in Washington D.C. today also expressed concern about the dispute between Guyana and Venezuela.
“On September 21, 2023, the regime of Venezuela’s National Assembly unanimously agreed to call a National Public Consultation so that the people strengthen the defense and the inalienable rights of Venezuela over the territorial dispute with Guyana,” the OAS said in a statement published on its website.
The OAS statement added, “We condemn this improper use of a referendum because it is illegal according to the 1966 Geneva Agreement, and because similar misuses of this instrument have served as a pretext in the recent past to try to justify the worst actions between States, including the crime of aggression.
“The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) reiterates that Venezuela and Guyana share the responsibility of resolving their dispute in the spirit of good neighborliness and in accordance with international law and the Geneva Agreement to seek peaceful solutions to the territorial dispute.
“Furthermore, the OAS General Secretariat continues to support the Co-operative Republic of Guyana’s sovereign right to practice its franchise on its established and appurtenant maritime area, in accordance with international law and the principles of the United Nations.
“The OAS General Secretariat objects to Venezuela’s encroachment on Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial rights through intimidatory and unfounded statements that fail to respect international conventions and the 1899 Arbitral Award, for which the latter is presently under judicial review at the International Court of Justice.”
