Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth
Last Updated on Saturday, 16 December 2023, 6:17 by Denis Chabrol
Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton
Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has welcomed the Guyana-Venezuela ‘peace pact’ that was brokered by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Brazil, but at the same time flayed the Irfaan Ali administration for not having preparatory talks.
“On the positive side, I believe that there is some relaxation of tension, commitment to peace and non-aggression. I think that is good but it also has got to be taken against the backdrop of a Venezuela that doesn’t honour commitments. They have done it over the years,” he told Demerara Waves Online News. “It should contribute to some amount of peace, stability and de-escalation of tension and so in that regard, I think it was a positive,” he added.
He indicated that the opposition coalition of A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change put Guyana first rather than partisan politics and played a major role in ensuring that the Guyana-Venezuela controversy over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award was not discussed bilaterally but remain at the multilateral level, and that the two neighbouring South American nations should hold talks on other issues. “We are happy that we pressured the government into making it very clear that the Guyana-Venezuela territorial controversy is properly before the ICJ and should not be discussed. I think that is positive for us,” he said.
He noted that the border controversy is “properly” before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace, which was clinched on Thursday at St Vincent’s Argyle International Airport after talks between President Irfaan Ali and the President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro refers to use of not only international law but also the 1966 Geneva Agreement to resolve any controversy between the two states. Though Mr Maduro has consistently maintained that there should be a return to bilateral negotiations to settle the border controversy in keeping with his interpretation of the Geneva Agreement rather than the ICJ, Mr Norton said reference to that accord was also to Guyana’s advantage. “I think that mentioning of the Geneva Agreement is a good thing in the sense that the Geneva Agreement puts an obligation on both parties to operate within the confines of international law. Of course, Venezuela will want to interpret it their way but the Geneva Agreement is explicit and may I point out to you that the fact that the issue is before the International Court of Justice is as a result of the Geneva Agreement which gives the option to go to the United Nations,” he said.
Rather, according to Mr Norton, he was worried that the Declaration provides for the “insertion” of St Vincent and the grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and company into the process when the Geneva Agreement talks about the United Nations.
The Opposition Leader heaped criticism on the Guyana government for not holding preparatory talks. “You would recall from the inception, I warned against not having a proper agenda and that, to me, didn’t allow for the kind of preparation that is needed,” he said.
Among his concerns is the use of “dispute” rather than “controversy” in the Declaration of Argyle for Peace and Cooperation. “That, to me, is a manifestation of the fact that under the People’s Progressive Party government, they have destroyed the foreign service and so the technical capabilities that are needed to ensure the exactitude of language is non-existent and so we ended up with an agreement with loose language created openings for Venezuela,” he said.
Asked why he was concerned about the use of “dispute” instead of “controversy” although the ICJ’s decisions refer to “dispute”, the Opposition Leader said that court “is free to use its language (but) as a country, we have to decide where our interest lies.” “Our interest lies in the fact that the matter was settled by the Arbitral Award of 1899 and, therefore, there is no dispute. However, the Geneva Agreement provided the opportunity for Venezuela to provide evidence of their spurious claim. They have never,” he said.
Mr Norton credited A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) with insisting that the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy not going to be an issue.
The Declaration of Argyle states that “both Guyana and Venezuela directly or indirectly will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.”
The Declaration also provides for a conflict resolution mechanism that would include the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), CELAC and the President of Brazil. “Agreed that both States will refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from any controversy between them. The two States will cooperate to avoid incidents on the ground conducive to tension between them. In the event of such an incident the two States will immediately communicate with one another, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Community of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC), and the President of Brazil to contain, reverse and prevent its recurrence.”
Prior to Thursday’s Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace, Venezuela had for the past several weeks increased the number of its soldiers on their side of the border with Guyana, built a landing strip and more recently allocated funds in the 2024 National Budget for matters concerning Essequibo. The United States Southern Command recently conducted joint flight operations with the Guyana Defence Force in Guyana’s airspace.
After the December 3 referendum that had included a provision for the annexation of the 160,000 square kilometre Essequibo Region, Mr Maduro announced that that region would be his country’s newest military zone, the state oil and mining companies would explore for oil, gas and gold in Essequibo, a census of residents there would be conducted and they would be granted identification cards. Further Mr Maduro had issued a three-month ultimatum for foreign companies in concessions awarded by Guyana to leave.