Maduro confirms attendance of ‘peace’ talks with Ali in St Vincent

Last Updated on Monday, 11 December 2023, 17:19 by Denis Chabrol

Even as Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Monday confirmed that he would meet with President Irfaan Ali in St. Vincent on Thursday, Guyana’s co-agent to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Sir Shridath Ramphal called on Guyanese to support their leader’s participation in that dialogue.

“I welcome direct dialogue, face to face, it has always been my proposal, because I believe in dialogue, sincere conversation, understanding and peaceful coexistence between peoples and nations. I will attend the appointment due to a mandate from my people. Venezuela Will Win!,” Mr Maduro said on ‘X’ formerly Twitter.

“Guyana has always urged Venezuela in the direction of peaceful coexistence. All Guyanese should bolster President Ali’s efforts in this regard. If President Maduro responds in like manner, CARICOM’s efforts will have the reward of deference to not only regional but international norms of peace and security,” said Sir Shridath, a former Guyana Foreign Minister and former Attorney General as well as former Commonwealth Secretary General.

Brokering the talks, which are scheduled for 10 AM Thursday in Kingstown, are the President of Brazil, Luis Inacio ‘Lula’ Da Silva and the President Pro Tempore of the Association of Latin American and Caribbean (ECLAC), St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves whose country is also a member of the sub-regional Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Mr Da Silva and a United Nations Secretary General are expected to observe the Ali-Maduro talks.

Like President Ali, Sir Shridath said the thrust of Thursday’s talks is to promote peace, not any discussion about the border outside of the ICJ to which the United Nations Secretary General had referred the controversy over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award. “It is in that context, and with perfect awareness that the Guyana-Venezuela matter is under consideration by the ICJ and that the Court’s proceedings cannot be compromised, that CARICOM Heads have called for an ‘appropriate’ dialogue between the leaders of Guyana
and Venezuela: to ensure ‘peaceful co-existence’, ‘the application and respect for international law’, and ‘the avoidance of the use or threats of force’,” Sir Shridath said.

He cautioned that it is important that the limits of the talks in St Vincent and the Grenadines are understood. “False expectations should not be encouraged,” he said. ‘

Since the December 3 referendum that the Venezuelan leader said gave him an overwhelming support, he has incorporated Guyana’s Essequibo into his country’s map, asked the State oil and mining companies to explore for oil and gas and mine in Essequibo, declared Essequibo a military zone and will conduct a census and hand out Venezuelan identification cards to residents in Essequibo.

Essequibo has also deployed many soldiers along the Venezuela side of the border with Brazil.