Home Letters President Ali will not budge, despite Ambassador Silva’s declaration that Venezuela will...
Dear Editor,
When it comes to the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela, President Dr Irfaan Ali is leaving no stone unturned as he deals with the erratic behaviour of the Maduro regime in the most serious manner. On several occasions, His Excellency has made it clear to all and sundry in the world that Guyana has always been, and will always be, a peaceful nation that respects the rule of law, but Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region poses a direct threat to Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as it is threatening the economic stability, tranquility, and peaceful existence of the Caribbean; which, unlike Venezuela, has never encroached on the territory of any other nation.
The border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela, which dates to the 1899 Arbitral Award, has shown how successive governments have tried but failed to settle this age-old controversy; but President Dr. Ali is determined and committed to settle it once and for all.
Not only has he elevated the controversy to the World Court, which is the highest legal body capable of settling controversys peacefully between and among countries, but he has also apprised members of the international community, chief among whom are the United States, as well as regional organizations, including the European Union, Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and our neighbours at Caricom and at the Organization of American States (OAS).
He told the world that Venezuela’s recent deployment of troops on its border with Guyana, and its latest threats to use force to unilaterally annex the Essequibo region are designed to undermine and disregard the rule of law and the impending case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
President Dr. Ali has always taken the threats from the Maduro regime very seriously, and so have the Government and Opposition lawmakers who, during a debate on the border controversy on Monday, November 6, have unanimously approved a parliamentary motion in the National Assembly against Venezuela. The lawmakers have noted that in addition to the deployment of thousands of troops by the Maduro regime on the Venezuela side of the border, Venezuela has placed several postings on social media declaring that Essequibo belongs to Venezuela, which is false.
The lawmakers have also reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to the ICJ, and have ruled out any bilateral talks between President Dr. Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, President Nicolas Maduro, to settle the controversy.
As a pragmatist, His Excellency realises that in terms of military prowess, Guyana is no match for Venezuela, whose National Bolivarian Armed Forces comprising the Army, Navy, and Air Force is the 4th largest military in Latin America, behind Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, and is more than half the size of Guyana’s population.
Therefore, while Venezuela broods over military threats, it is inconceivable for Guyana to think that there is a military solution to settle the border controversy.
However, after a very careful assessment of the escalation of tension propagated by Caracas, and the misleading rhetoric disseminated by President Maduro to buttress his claim to the Essequibo, President Dr. Ali has sought, and received, solid support and meaningful partnerships with members of the international community and regional allies to condemn the reckless behaviour of Venezuela.
Despite the sabre-rattling from Venezuela, President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s eyes were firmly fixed on the prize, to thwart Maduro’s plans, because he knew he had options which he saved for the last.
To strengthen and expand relations with Brazil, given its historic position on the inviolability of borders, President Dr. Ali held discussions with the President of Brazil, Luis Inacio ‘Lula’ Da Silva, on a wide range of bilateral issues, including defence, military cooperation, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the rule of International Law, the Venezuela border controversy, infrastructure, and economic cooperation, among other things.
The talks between President Ali and his Brazilian counterpart were held amid repeated threats by Venezuela to use force to annex the Essequibo region, which was of concern to Brazil. The Brazilian President has always been concerned about violence in the region, and has called for a diplomatic and/or legal settlement to the controversy.
If anyone had any misgivings about President Ali’s strategy on the border controversy, or his resolve to settle it peacefully through the ICJ, they should be cast aside. To the surprise of almost everyone, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Pérez Silva, declared on Sunday November 12, 2023, that Venezuela would not invade Guyana, even if its citizens vote ‘yes’ in the referendum on December 3, 2023 to annex the Essequibo region.
The Venezuelan envoy explained that the deployment of troops on the Venezuelan border with Guyana is part of an operation codenamed “Operation Roraima”, to tackle illegal gold mining, drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, gangs and other “internal security” matters. Despite Ambassador Silva’s proclamation, President Dr. Ali will not claim victory or budge from his position that Venezuela’s claim to Essequibo is false, groundless and illegal. He will continue to push for a peaceful and legal settlement at the ICJ.
Sincerely,
Dr Asquith Rose
