Home Top Stories Venezuela’s violation of ICJ order: Guyana expects “unanimous support” as UNSC meets...
…UK, US reaffirm unwavering support for Guyana
…Caricom Heads call emergency meeting today
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will today meet to consider Guyana’s request for intervention amid Venezuela’s blatant violation of the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court.
The World Court had issued a ruling barring Venezuela from taking any action emanating from the December 3 referendum to seize Essequibo before the Court hands down its decision on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award.
However, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced several measures which his administration intends to take to enforce the outcome of the referendum. 
On Thursday, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo lauded the urgency with which the UNSC has sought to handle Guyana’s request for its intervention in light of developments taking place in Venezuela.
Be it permanent or non-permanent, the former Head of State outlined, UNSC members will have to respect the ruling of an agency that is under the auspices of the UN umbrella; in this case, the ICJ. Guyana is optimistic that its request would garner unanimous support.
“We’re extremely pleased that they’ve taken up this matter with this sense of urgency…The ICJ gave these measures. They said these measures are binding on parties. We believe that all of the members would have to support the provisional measures of the Court. We don’t want anything else, except that Venezuela complies with the ruling of the ICJ…We expect unanimous support,” he told media operatives.
The orders of the ICJ, which prohibited Venezuela from aggravating its border controversy with Guyana, which Venezuela has flouted, have been sent to the United Nations Security Council by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres himself. The Secretary-General’s Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, made this revelation as he reminded that decisions of the ICJ are binding on all parties involved.
“I can tell you that the Secretary-General strongly supports the use of solely peaceful means to settle international disputes. He further recalls that, pursuant to the Charter and to the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), decisions of the Court are binding, and he trusts that both states will duly comply with the order from the Court,” Dujarric said on Wednesday.
Caricom emergency meeting
Meanwhile, Heads of Government within the Caribbean Community (Caricom) have today called an emergency meeting to facilitate dialogue, as tensions rise and pressure mounts to safeguard the region as a zone of peace.
The Vice President added, “We will fight this robustly; and we are strengthening our defence cooperation, so that should Maduro try to move to act on his illegal laws, contrary to the ICJ ruling, that we have a capability for defending our country.”
Caricom has previously positioned that Venezuela must not take any action to challenge, disrupt, or interfere with Guyana’s longstanding control and administration of the Essequibo Region, which constitutes more than two-thirds of Guyana’s land territory, until the Court has issued its final judgment on which state enjoys sovereignty over that territory.
According to Caricom, the order reinforces the fundamental principle of International Law enshrined in the United Nations (UN) and OAS Charters, that every state has the duty to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of others.
Unjustified
Every day, partners and global leaders are weighting in their support for Guyana.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, engaged President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Wednesday to reaffirm the United States’ unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty.
Secretary Blinken reiterated the United States’ call for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing controversy, and urged all involved parties to respect the 1899 arbitral award that defines the land boundary between Venezuela and Guyana. He emphasized that this should remain in force, unless the parties reach a new agreement or a competent legal body decides otherwise.
During the call, both officials noted the order of the International Court of Justice issued on December 1, which called for parties to refrain from any action that might aggravate or extend the dispute.
Secretary Blinken reiterated that the United States looks forward to working closely with Guyana when Guyana assumes its non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council in January 2024. The two leaders concluded their engagement by agreeing on the importance of maintaining a peaceful and democratic Western Hemisphere.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom also voiced its concern about the recent steps taken by Venezuela with respect to the Essequibo region of Guyana.
“We believe this is unjustified, and should cease. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated on Thursday. (G12)
