Caricom reaffirms support for Guyana on upcoming ICJ case

– Guyana to form part of prime ministerial review sub-committee

The 31st Inter-Sessional meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in the Caribbean Community (Caricom), concluded on Wednesday last in Bridgetown, Barbados, with several decisions pertaining to Guyana being taken at the meeting.

One of the most important ones was the decision for Caricom to reaffirm its support for Guyana and its recourse to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve its border controversy with Venezuela.
“Heads of Government noted that the International Court of Justice has scheduled a hearing for the week of 23 March 2020, at which Guyana will submit its oral pleadings as to why the Court was properly vested with jurisdiction by the United Nations Secretary General for a final resolution to the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.”
“Heads of Government reiterated their full support for the judicial process that is intended to bring a peaceful and definitive end to the long-standing controversy between the two countries. Heads of Government further reiterated their firm and unswerving support for the maintenance and preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana,” a communique issued after the meeting states.
In a recent notice, the Hague, Netherlands-based ICJ informed the parties of the schedules for the upcoming public hearings to determine whether the Court has jurisdiction to preside over the matter. The first round of oral arguments will be held on March 23, 2020, and Guyana will be presenting its pleadings on that day.
The following day is awarded to Venezuela. Hearings on both days will commence at 10:00h and run until 13:00h (Netherlands time).
Meanwhile, the second round of arguments is slated for March 25 when Guyana will be presenting from 16:30 to 18:00h. Venezuela will then present on March 27 from 10:00h to 11:30h. The sessions will be streamed live on the Court’s website.
Guyana filed its case with the World Court on March 29, 2018, seeking a final and binding judgment that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between the then-British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid and binding, and that Guyana’s Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, and not Venezuela as is being claimed by the Spanish-speaking country.
The case was filed following a decision by Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in January 2018, that the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela should be decided by the ICJ.
The Secretary General made the decision by exercising the power vested in him in the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom to decide how the controversy should be settled.
However, Venezuela has claimed, in a letter to the World Court, that the Secretary General exceeded his authority under the Geneva Agreement, and therefore, the Court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the lawsuit filed by Guyana.
Meanwhile, another decision was made for a prime ministerial sub-committee that will review the work of previous inter-sessional meetings and the implementation and financing for previous decisions.
Guyana, according to the communique, will form part of this sub-committee which will be led by the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines. In addition to Guyana, the Heads of Government of Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago will also be included.
It was further explained that recommendations will be submitted by the sub-committee during the meeting of the conference in July. Guyana was represented at the inter-sessional meeting by Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Karen Cummings.