OPPOSITION Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is urging President David Granger to meet Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in New York to discuss the border controversy between the two South American neighbours, although he has failed to comment on Caracas’s deployment of a large contingent of soldiers and war equipment at its border with Guyana. Venezuela has also deployed its maritime craft in the Cuyuni River, in what it described as a military exercise, but denounced by the Guyana Government as provocation.

Jagdeo made his comment at a news conference on Friday. His PPP party has said in the past that it will back the current government on matters of sovereignty, but since the troop build-up, that party has not issued a release or commented on the issue. However, Jagdeo told reporters that if both parties agree the meeting will take place in the framework of the United Nations General Assembly, with the support of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The border controversy with Venezuela has been simmering for more than 100 years. Venezuela’s aggression also comes at a time when that country is preparing for General Elections later this year and amidst food and other critical supplies shortages.

Reports disclose that the border issue with Guyana and other neighbours of Venezuela has been seen as a ploy by Maduro and his party to distract voters ahead of the elections. President Granger was expected to address the issue Friday at the U.N. General Assembly gathering. Venezuela has long claimed Essequibo that comprises about 40 percent of Guyana’s territory. The socialist country re-asserted those claims this year after a subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corp. announced a significant oil discovery off the coast of Guyana.
Jagdeo said, “I want to urge President Granger to meet with President Maduro in New York, since dialogue is the only way forward there is no room for belligerent, pugnacious or arrogant policies. Our only strength as a small country is in diplomacy and dialogue.”
He continued: “We can aggressively pursue the integrity of our borders and our sovereignty and we should do so with all the strength in our bodies, but at the same time we have to maintain a channel open for dialogue, trade flows and functional cooperation between our neigbours and that’s going to never change and so I believe that it’s only through dialogue that you can resolve problems,” the former Guyanese leader said. Jagdeo explained that a diplomatic solution should be reached since all sectors in Guyana will suffer especially the rice farmers. He noted that rice farmers are suffering since Guyana lost the Venezuela market.

“I believe it is only through dialogue that you can resolve problems and so I hope that that meeting will take place in New York, that it will lower tensions between our two countries and at the borders; it will allow us to resume functional cooperation and it will allow us to get back the rice market to Venezuela,” Jagdeo stressed. Meanwhile, the former President shied away from commenting on Venezuela’s recent deployment of war equipment to its border with Guyana, saying he is waiting to be formally briefed by the government. “Government has not contacted us…I don’t want to say anything that would put the government in a difficult position.” He said Guyana has the full support of CARICOM but efforts should be made to garner support of solidarity from the Commonwealth. Fifty-three countries are members of the Commonwealth. However, President Granger has already stated that he is willing to meet with Maduro. Last weekend there was a build-up of Venezuelan military personnel and equipment close to Guyana’s border, sending the government in defence mode and increasing tensions between the two countries.