Venezuela border controversy: No wavering from ICJ process – Pres Ali ahead of Maduro meeting

…dispatches letter setting record straight on agenda for talks in SVG
…as Guyana signs advanced defence agreement with USA

As the December 14 meeting between President Dr Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro draws closer, Guyana’s Head of State has maintained that there will be no wavering from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) process to settle the border controversy.

President Dr Ali and Venezuelan President Maduro, who has in recent months intensified aggression against Guyana, are scheduled to have regionally brokered talks on Thursday. These upcoming talks have since been welcomed by Maduro, as a chance for Venezuela to return to good neighbourliness with Guyana.
In a letter dispatched to St Vicent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who helped broker the talks, Maduro said that he was looking forward to these talks. According to Maduro, he remains committed to dialogue that would re-establish peace between the two countries.
In the letter, however, Maduro’s expressed desire to discuss the border controversy currently being heard before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), will not find favour with the Guyanese side.
President Ali dispatched a letter of his own addressed to Prime Minister Gonsalves, responding to several of the inaccuracies contained in Maduro’s letter. The President made it clear that contrary to the agenda Maduro was expecting, there would be no talk from Guyana’s end regarding the border controversy.
“I too have a mandate from the National Assembly of Guyana, which is unanimous in its resolve that the land boundary is not a matter for bilateral discussions and the settlement of the matter is properly on the International Court of Justice where it must remain until the Court gives its final ruling on the merits of the case which, Guyana has always said and I repeat, will be fully respected by Guyana,” President Ali wrote.
“Let me assure you dear colleague that I am prepared to speak with President Maduro on any other aspect that may contribute to improving and strengthening amicable relations between our two countries,” he further added.
President Ali further debunked other inaccuracies in Maduro’s letter, including his claim that Guyana was giving out oil concessions in maritime areas that had not been delimited, even though these concessions are well within the 200 nautical miles of Guyana’s coast that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea recognises as a state’s maritime jurisdiction.

Guyana’s right to engage
Additionally, he responded to Maduro’s claims that Guyana was allowing the United States Southern Command to “meddle” in “disputed territory”. According to President Ali, Guyana reserves the right to engage in any form of cooperation with its bilateral partners, while at the same time not supporting any intervention in the internal affairs of other, sovereign states. He made it clear that there is no military operation aimed at Venezuela taking place in Guyana’s territory and called such claims “misleading and provocative.”

The Guyanese Head of State has previously been clear that the Venezuela border controversy will not be up for discussion. He verbally reinforced this position on Monday, when he was questioned on the sidelines of an event.
“The controversy shall be settled at the ICJ. There’s absolutely no wavering from this position. And I want to make it very clear, that this is not a Guyanese position. This is a position from the Geneva Agreement. This is a position in which the United Nations Secretary General ascribed the settlement of this case to the ICJ. So, this is a position that all of us must respect.”
“We don’t live in a region by ourselves. We have respect for our bilateral partners, our regional partners. We have made our position very clear. We are a peaceful country. Our only ambition is to secure and protect what belongs to us. And we have absolutely no difficulty meeting with any of our neighbours to ensure… this region remains a region of peace. And our regional partners requested of us to have this conversation,” President Ali explained to the media.
President Ali noted that there are many other things the two Heads of State can discuss, including the migrant crisis and the harmful narratives. Asked what he would say if Maduro himself tried to put the border controversy and the December 3 referendum on the table during discussions, President Ali had this to say:
“Very clear. The 1899 Arbitral Award settled where Essequibo belongs. And it belongs squarely, firmly in the geographic space of Guyana. That is the first thing I would say. The second thing is that the Geneva Agreement provided for the UN Secretary General to appoint a place where this controversy should be settled. He has appointed the ICJ and that is where it should be settled.”
“When we get to the talks, there’s a lot still to talk about. We say we’re part of the same region. If we are both concerned about the development of our countries and people, there are so many things to talk about. You have the migration issue, climate change. Consequential matters. One of the important things is to ensure this region remains peaceful and stable. And that is talking about the narrative not conducive to peace,” the President said.
Meanwhile, President Ali also revealed that an advanced defence agreement has been signed with the United States that will pave the way for “major training exercises and a naval exchange”. Additionally, he spoke of other “pre-planned training” that will be conducted between Guyana and its partners.
Last month, the top brass from the United States Army’s 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) had arrived in Guyana and had engaged in talks with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), as well as conducted joint training exercises for the furtherance of a military alliance.
SFAB is a specialised unit of the US Army that has assisted allies of the US in the past. It is expected that they will conduct several joint training exercises with the GDF to strengthen its capacity and capability at the tactical and operational levels. This is particularly important considering the threat Guyana faces from Venezuela on the border. (G3)