By Alva Solomon

FOLLOWING Monday’s shooting incident at Eteringbang on the Guyana border with Venezuela, a British Member of Parliament (MP) has said that the United Kingdom supports Guyana’s position regarding its territorial boundary with its western neighbour.Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, James Duddridge, told the media during a briefing on Tuesday afternoon that the boundary was fixed in the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal in Paris.

“The UK supports the territorial integrity of your country unequivocally,” Duddridge told reporters at the Bel Air Gardens residence of British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn.

He reiterated that the territorial integrity of Guyana is fixed, and noted that it was fixed in 1889.
He said Britain and its offices here also support the country’s position on the border controversy.

Last Monday afternoon, three officials of the Mines Services Division of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), together with a boat captain, reportedly managed to escape unhurt when the boat in which they were travelling came under gunfire by persons suspected to be Venezuelan soldiers.

Acting GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison confirmed the incident, which occurred sometime after lunch on Monday. He said the verbal report he received indicated that the officers were in the vicinity of Eteringbang, in the Cuyuni area near the Guyana border with Venezuela, when shots were fired from the Venezuelan side of the border.

Dennison said he was told the gunshots were fired across the bow of the vessel.

Reports are that the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is preparing to dispatch a report on the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The army and the police have been briefed following the Monday incident, which occurred at a time of heightened tension between Guyana and its western neighbour regarding the border controversy.

Last February, President Granger met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and emphasised that: “After 50 years, the Guyanese people are united and they are determined to maintain territorial integrity”.

President Granger has expressed confidence in the UN Secretary-General, who is preparing to demit office this year, to select the best course of action to finally resolve the controversy via a juridical process.