PM Phillips’s address to OAS on border controversy was powerful, persuasive

Dear Editor,
Our Prime Minister, Hon. Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, is known for making eloquent speeches, and he did so on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 when he addressed the Organization of American States (OAS) during an Extraordinary Special Session of the Permanent Council.
The meeting was convened at the request of the Government of Guyana to provide an update on the recent developments on the border controversy with Venezuela, which remains an enduring threat to Guyana. In his address to members of the OAS, Prime Minister Phillips has brilliantly highlighted the fact than Guyana is a peaceful nation that respects the rule of law, and that Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region poses a direct threat to Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. PM Phillips did not mince words when he told the OAS that Venezuela is currently building an airstrip on its border in a zone near to the Essequibo region, where it has significantly increased its military personnels and equipment. He explained that while no explanation about the airstrip has been provided to the Government of Guyana, the intention of Venezuela is to increase its threats to use force, to drive fear in the Guyanese population as well as to undermine and breach international law.
The former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), who has in-depth knowledge on security-related issues, has voiced Guyana’s concerns about the planned referendum on December 3 with five questions that seek the Venezuelan people’s approval to unilaterally annex Guyana’s territory of Essequibo, instead of complying with its international obligations to respect and accept the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Brigadier Phillips further informed the OAS that once nearly 11 billion barrels of oil resources have been discovered in the Essequibo region, Venezuela intensified its campaign of intimidation and threats to use force to annex Essequibo and discredit the 1899 Arbitral Award.
According to Prime Minister Phillips, question five on the referendum is the most disturbing, in that it proposes the creation of the Venezuelan State of Essequibo and an accelerated plan to grant Venezuelan citizenship and identity cards to the Guyanese population living in the region. Not only was the Prime Minister critical of all the questions, but he was very explicit and forceful in condemning the Maduro regime for its malicious and sinister intent to obtain responses from ordinary Venezuelans who may or may not be fully aware of, or acquainted with, the issue to support the Venezuelan Government’s decision to abandon the current judicial proceedings before the ICJ and resort to military measures to resolve the border controversy.
In putting forth Guyana’s case, Prime Minister Phillips candidly told the Permanent Council of the OAS that the Government and people of Guyana are attentive and vigilant of the intentions of the Maduro regime’s recent threats to use force to unilaterally annex two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, which would threaten the peace, stability and security not only in Guyana, but also in the entire Caribbean region.
The PM has duly told the OAS Council that there is no ambiguity concerning the facts with the border controversy, because the October 3, 1899 Arbitral Award which has determined the boundaries between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela continues to be the legally binding instrument that remain in effect.
As of today, this case is actively before the ICJ to have the matter peacefully settled.
The Prime Minister affirmed that following the 1899 Arbitral Award, a Mixed Venezuelan-British Boundary Commission established a map, on January 7, 1905, to demarcate the boundary between the two countries. Venezuela agreed with the boundary map, which at the request of General Juan Vincente Gomez, then President of Venezuela, was reissued in 1911 and 1917, and signed by F. Alicantara, the Venezuelan Minister of Internal Affairs.
In the end, Prime Minister Phillips gracefully and sincerely thanked the Secretary General of the OAS, Mr Luis Almagro; Caricom Community; the Commonwealth of Nations; and members of the international community, for their continued advocacy for a peaceful settlement of the border controversy in accordance with international law. Several members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), as well as the European Union (EU), the United States and Brazil, have reiterated their unwavering and unequivocal support for Guyana and for a peaceful settlement of the controversy.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Phillips praised President Dr Ali for apprising Caricom, the OAS, the Commonwealth of Nations, and Guyana’s international partners on Venezuela’s planned referendum and its threats to use force to unilaterally seize two-thirds of Guyana’s territory.
PM Phillips’s address to the OAS was excellent, his knowledge of the issue was superb, and his explanation was so convincing and superlative that it grabbed the attention of all the attendees, especially the Secretary General of the OAS, Mr Luis Almagro; and the US and EU ambassadors to the OAS, who explicitly and emphatically condemned Venezuela’s illegal actions for escalating tensions in the region known for its peace and tranquility. They also reaffirmed their steadfast support for Guyana, and for a peaceful settlement of the controversy in keeping with the principles of international law.

Sincerely,
Dr Asquith Rose