UN Secretary General praises Vincentian PM for easing Guyana-Venezuela tensions

Last Updated on Thursday, 29 February 2024, 23:58 by Denis Chabrol

United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres on Thursday credited Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves for his role in pulling back Guyana and Venezuela from the brink of conflict over the disputed Essequibo Region.

Mr Guterres thanked Mr Gonsalves for his “permanent role” on the Guyana-Venezuela issue, in his remarks at summit of Caribbean and Latin American Countries (CELAC) being held in Kingstown, St Vincent.

“Now, in this context, to see Latin America and the Caribbean as a continent of peace, and to see that when a problem arises, and recently we had one with two neighbours, Guyana and Venezuela, there is a mediator that emerges and is able to bring the parties together and to avoid a conflict.

And so, I want to pay tribute to Prime Minister Gonsalves for his permanent role, always very attentive to any possibility of conflict, and his engaged, active and effective mediation, as I also have seen in relation to his very strong commitment to the solution of the problems in Haiti,” the UN Secretary General told the leaders who included Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali.

Under the chairmanship of Dr Gonsalves, CELAC and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) were instrumental in liaising with Brazil’s President, Luis Inacio ‘Lula’ Da Silva to broker talks between Presidents Ali and Maduro on December 14,2023. Up to then, Venezuela had moved troops and military hardware to their side of the border with Guyana. After a referendum on December 3, Mr Maduro had declared Guyana’s Essequibo county a military zone, and had given companies operating in concessions awarded by Guyana three weeks to pack up and leave. The Maduro plan so far incorporates Essequibo into Venezuela’s official map after the referendum, a census of people living in Essequibo and the issuance of citizenship and identification cards to them.

Under the 11-point Argyle Declaration for Dialogue and Peace, Dr Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, have agreed that Dr Gonsalves’ “role will continue even after Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ceases to be the Pro-Tempore President of CELAC, within the framework of the CELAC Troika plus one; and Dominica’s Prime Minister Skerrit’s role will continue as a member of the CARICOM Bureau.

Since the Argyle Declaration, the intense saber-rattling has eased.

Among other things, the peace accord provides that 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 Guyana President is among 33 leaders who are in St Vincent for the Eighth Summit of CELAC