Dear Editor,
Our boundary with Venezuela has been settled since 1899, though Venezuela is now rejecting that settlement. International law also finds room for the principle of sovereignty under law, which should make “the Father of Sovereignty”. A clear example is the text of the Declaration of Rights and Duties of States, prepared by the International Law Commission of the United Nations. This article reads: “Every State must conduct its relations with other States in accordance with International Law and with the principles that the sovereignty of each State is subject to the supremacy of international law”.
Together with the other countries with which we enter collective arrangements, we must participate based on equality. Collective arrangements can assist in the achievement of international cooperation, progressive international economic and social development, and the maintenance of international peace only if all participants are equally prepared to merge the exercise of a part of their sovereignty into the common organization.
It is quite true that in the world, as it is placed today, it is ridiculous to try to stand for the absolute sovereignty of the individual state. For my part, I accept the renunciation of sovereign rights, not for itself, not as an end in itself, but as a necessity, as the only means we have of rising above the national egotism, antagonism, and narrowness that are killing us.
The view of International Law declares: “No democratic state will agree to limit on its sovereignty other than those which are voluntary, reciprocal, fair and freely (consented) to. It will have nothing to do with the limitations of its sovereignty that are unilateral and imposed from without”.
The Venezuela regime’s position seems unreasonable enough, and indeed almost platitudinous, but Venezuela’s constant insistence on its unlimited sovereignty conveys the impression that it is determined to avoid all limitations, even when “voluntary, reciprocal, etc. Thus, its attitude is a major obstacle to all efforts toward effective international cooperation in the areas of economic zones.
Essequibo belongs to Guyana; as said by the Tradewinds, “Not blade of grass…”.
Yours faithfully,
Sherwood Clarke
