Govt, opposition agree to push back parliamentary sitting for resolution against Venezuela

Last Updated on Wednesday, 1 November 2023, 22:57 by Denis Chabrol

Guyana’s government and opposition on Wednesday agreed to reschedule the sitting of the National Assembly to unanimously approve a resolution against Venezuela’s escalating plans to use next month’s referendum to disregard the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and possibly annex the Essequibo county.

Officials said Chief Whip for the Government and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira met with Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones, and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amanza Walton and “amicably agreed” that the Extraordinary Sitting of the National Assembly would be be held on Monday, November 6th at 10 a.m. to discuss a motion of support for the Government and people of Guyana and reaffirm recognition of the 1899 Arbitral Award and the 1966 Geneva Agreement.

Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs has since notified all parliamentarians about the new date.

Mr Jones later told Demerara Waves Online News that the opposition did not yet receive statistics on the number and locations of Venezuelans in Guyana.

He said Minister Teixeira’s office was Wednesday expected to dispatch a copy of the draft motion to Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Chief Whip said A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change parliamentarians have begun visiting a number of coastal and interior areas to collect data on Venezuelans.

Due to the fact that Guyana’s case on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award is still before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Irfaan Ali-led administration has asked that court to issue provisional measures against a number of questions for the December 3 referendum.

However, the Venezuelan government on Wednesday maintained that it was going ahead with the referendum that seeks approval for, among other things, the combined government and opposition there that the ICJ does not have jurisdiction in the case and that Guyana’s Essequibo county would be made a Venezuelan State. The Nicolas Maduro administration is promising to take care of all of the inhabitants of the 160,000 square kilometre county, and grant them citizenship and identification cards.