Venezuela’s combined opposition prefers ICJ solution to border controversy

Last Updated on Saturday, 30 December 2023, 9:22 by Denis Chabrol

Venezuela’s combined opposition, Democratic Unitary Platform, early Saturday reiterated its position that the Venezuela-Guyana border controversy should be settled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), even as it strenuously objected to the presence of a British warship in the waters of this former British colony.

“From the Democratic Unitary Platform, we reiterate that Venezuelans have solid legal documents to defend our Essequibo territory, which, as we have mentioned previously, must be presented before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to ensure that said court makes a decision in accordance with laws,” the DUP said in a statement.

After accepting the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award for more than 60 years, Venezuela then relied on a letter by a junior lawyer to the 1897 land boundary tribunal that there had been collusion to cheat it of land.

Maria Corina Machado, the opposition candidate for next year’s general election, is already on record as saying that Venezuela needs to get its best experts to fight the case at the World Court.

That is in stark contrast to the incumbent Nicolas Maduro-led administration that does not recognise that United Nations judicial body as the means to settle the dispute over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award that settled the Guyana-Venezuela land boundary. Instead, the Maduro administration continues to interpret the 1966 Geneva Agreement to mean that the dispute should be settled through bilateral negotiations. After Guyana became tired with fruitless bilateral talks, the United Nations Secretary General invoked a clause in the Agreement and referred the controversy to the ICJ.

The DUP also said “we demand the validity of the 1966 Geneva Agreement, as the only instrument for the practical and satisfactory solution of the conflict, in a peaceful manner.”

Rejecting the United Kingdom warship, HMS Trent’s presence in Guyanese waters as “unnecessary provocation”, the DUP called for the vessel to leave the area of dispute. “From the Democratic Unitary Platform, we raise our voice in rejection of this action and urge its immediate withdrawal. Likewise, we call on the parties to build solutions through diplomatic channels,” the Venezuelan opposition said.

Brazil on Friday objected to the presence of the patrol vessel and urged a return to the December 14 Argyle Declaration for Peace and Dialogue between Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro.

Despite that accord, the Maduro regime has not retreated from its post December 3 referendum actions such as incorporating Guyana’s Essequibo county into its map, declaring that county one of its military zones, authorising its state oil and mining companies to carry out activities in Essequibo, and giving Guyanese concessionaires three months to pack up and leave.

The HMS Trent’s arrival on December 29 followed British Minister for the Americas and the Caribbean, David Rutley’s visit to Guyana on December 18 when he reaffirmed his country’s support for Guyana’s territorial sovereignty, met with the GDF Chief-of-Staff and also British, Canadian, American and European Union ambassadors here to discuss support for this former British colony.  “The UK will continue to work with partners in the region, as well as through international bodies, to ensure the territorial integrity of Guyana is upheld,” he had been quoted as saying.