Ali-Maduro talks could help preserve regional peace – Sir Shridath Ramphal

Making it clear that false expectations should not be encouraged ahead of talks between President Dr Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, esteemed diplomat Sir Shridath Ramphal also views the talks as a chance to preserve regional peace.
President Dr Irfaan Ali has agreed to regionally broker talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has in recent months intensified aggression against Guyana.
Esteemed diplomat Sir Shridath Ramphal, in a missive on Monday, reinforced that these talks could go a far way towards preserving regional peace.
Ramphal lauded the role played by Caricom in arranging the talks and noted that once they are approached in good faith by Maduro himself, then regional peace and security will be maintained.
At the same time, Ramphal stressed that false expectations, particularly on the Venezuelan side, must not be encouraged. He noted that there must be no discussions on the Venezuelan controversy over the Essequibo region, which is currently sub judice before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Ramphal reminded that President Ali only agreed to the discussions within the parameters of “appropriate dialogue” with Maduro.
The senior diplomat, who is Guyana’s co-agent in the case before ICJ, further urged Guyanese to support President Ali’s efforts at securing peace.
Over the weekend, a decision to hold talks between the two nations came about following an emergency meeting of Caricom Heads of Government. Presidents Ali and Nicolás Maduro will meet in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday but the Guyanese leader related that Guyana’s land boundary is not up for discussion as the border case lies before the World Court.
The Guyanese Head of State gave his approval for the meeting after he was contacted by leaders from the Community of States of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC), the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the UN Under-Secretary General.
Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves were integral behind this move, as they wrote a letter to Presidents Ali and Maduro.
Amid this development, the Office of the President issued a statement on Saturday which declared, “President Ali has since agreed to have this meeting…[He] reiterated that Guyana’s land boundary is not up for discussion, as it is currently before the ICJ and when adjudicated will be fully respected by Guyana. The President, on numerous occasions, has made it explicitly clear that the case before the ICJ will not be an issue for bilateral discussions.”
The missive added that the Guyanese leader will continue to engage bilateral partners on defence cooperation pacts, as well as the ongoing range of political, social and economic arrangements.
Ali reiterated that Guyana has always been in support of good neighbourly relations but will not deviate from the ICJ process in the resolution of the border controversy.
“Guyana is clear that the advancement of our development agenda will not be compromised. Our development partners and investors can be assured that there will be no changes or alterations to existing arrangements. Guyana has always been committed to international peace and security and promotion of good neighbourly relations,” the communique outlined.