Guyana Warns Venezuela As Land Dispute Heats Up Over Oil Discovery; Opposition Supports Government

GEORGETOWN, Guyana CMC – The Guyana government, on Monday, warned Venezuela, it is prepared to take action if the South American country moves to enforce a recent shift in its maritime boundary, that includes an area where an American oil company has found a significant oil deposit.
“The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana wishes to make it pellucid that Decree No 1787 cannot be applicable to any part of Guyana’s territory, and any attempt by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to apply that instrument, in an extra-territorial manner, will be vigorously resisted by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
In a strongly worded statement, the new administration of President David Granger, said it plans to formally bring to the attention of the international community, what it termed “this aggressive and illegal act by Venezuela”.
Guyana said, the decree is a “flagrant violation of international law and is inconsistent with the principle, that all States should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other States, large and small.
”The Cooperative Republic of Guyana rejects this illegality which seeks to undermine our efforts at development, through exploitation of our natural resources off-shore.
“Guyana will continue, undeterred, to access and develop its resources in accordance with the Constitution and laws, in keeping with the principles of International Law.”
Guyana said the decree amounts to a threat to regional peace and security and breaches The Geneva Agreement of 1966, on the border controversy over the mineral and forest-rich Essequibo.
“It is therefore imperative that Venezuela adheres to the principles of International Law in seeking to delineate, its maritime boundaries with neighbouring States, pending actual delimitations,” the statement added.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on May 27 issued a decree, extending his country’s sovereignty over all the Atlantic coastal waters off Essequibo.
Prior to the decree, Venezuela had twice written to the local subsidiary of the US-based Exxon-Mobil warning against continued exploration for hydrocarbons in the area. On both occasions, the Guyana government had issued strong objections.
In its latest statement, the Guyana government said that the “land boundary between Guyana and Venezuela, which was defined by the Arbitral Award of 1899 is recognized by all States.
Venezuela also recognized its border with Guyana as settled for over sixty years, having also participated in the demarcation of its established boundary, which was demarcated in 1905,” the statement said, adding “it is international law that must reign supreme and not the ambitions of a larger State which wishes to trample upon the rights of a smaller country, in order to obstruct the sovereign right of Guyana to develop its natural resources.”

Clement Rohee

Guyana’s main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Monday, put aside its concerns over the results of the last general election, and closed ranks with the new government in the ongoing border dispute with Venezuela.
Former home affairs minister and PPP general secretary, Clement Rohee, said, while the party has not taken an official position on the issue, it is maintaining past positions to resist aggression from Venezuela, in the decades-old border dispute.

Rohee said, the PPP, which has not accepted the results of the last general elections that saw it being removed from office, “stands firmly as a political party in respect of defense of our territorial integrity and national sovereignty”, and maintains the view that the current oil exploration is being done within the territorial sea belonging to Guyana.
Rohee said, while in the past, the PPP government would have consulted with the opposition on the border dispute, “there’s no opposition leader. So it’s hard for us to have a position on it. But as a party we defend the sovereignty of Guyana.”