AMBASSADOR Dag Nylander, Personal Representative of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Guyana last week for two days, during which he met with President David Granger and Vice-President and Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greendige.
The ambassador’s visit was the consequence of Guyana’s request to the UN to intervene, with the aim of bringing closure to the controversy over Venezuela’s claim to almost two-thirds of our territory. This is an issue Guyanese, irrespective of internal differences, would like to see resolved once and for all.
While by nature we are a peaceful people, who since independence have forged international relations build on non-alignment to any external political force and seeks cordial relations with all, it has not diminished our determination to not give up what belongs to us. The 1899 International Tribunal unanimously settled a border dispute, when it awarded Essequibo to Great Britain, thereby heading off what could have been a war with Venezuela, Great Britain and the United States. An arbitral award is final and binding on all sides. This is the position Guyana respects and shall not deviate from.
In light of the recent oil find Guyana, now more than ever, needs to have the issue resolved, not as a matter of urgency, for the territory belongs to us, but that of a matter of utmost national interest. Small in size and military might though we may be perceived, our understanding of the geopolitical environment with our emerging presence and role in the world’s oil economy we fully get. The utilisation of our natural resources in the territory wrongfully being claimed by our neighbour, Venezuela, is not only important, but vital to our growth and development.
In the 21st century we stand as resolute as we were in the 20th century, when 55 years ago Venezuela communicated to the UN it no longer honours the Arbitral Award, because it sees it as “null and void.” The view of Venezuela, though it rightfully opens itself for speculation as to intent, it needs not be forgotten the 1899 panel deemed the award the “full, perfect and final settlement.”
The years of the Geneva Agreement (1970-1992) and subsequent appointment of Good Officers to help the two countries utilise diplomacy to resolve the matter, though it has kept the channel of communication opened and cordial, it is time to wrap it up. The UN, like Venezuela and Guyana, is fully aware that a controversy of this nature in a resource-rich environment, while it can achieve the progress for those to whom it rightly belongs, it can also spill over into attracting unsavoury conduct and characters. The sovereign wealth of this country, wherever it exists, has to be exploited and used for the benefit of the people.
Development, human and environment, is also an important aspect in the work of the UN. No doubt Ambassador Nylander will have this foremost in his mind as he begins establishing the framework to bring resolution to a matter of interest to both countries. Guyanese remain steadfast in our conviction that our territory was judicially settled in 1899. Only recently Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Sir Shridath Ramphal, reminded that the Good Office Process only holds good up to the end of 2017, saying that “by the end of the year, if it doesn’t yield satisfactory progress of a solution, then we go to the ICJ [International Court of Justice]. So we can look ahead to 2018 seeing us in the court, which we hope will put an end to this evil.”
Sir Shridath stressed that while the Good Offices Process would not have an immediate impact on oil explorations here, it is important to have the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela resolved as soon as possible. “Well, it wouldn’t have an impact now… The oil is not now; production is years away. But what we should do now is prepare for it; and because it is not a good time economically, people are impatient, inevitably, but we have to prepare properly; we have to secure that oil. We have to get rid of the Venezuela issue, and we have to do all that, as the lawyers say, seriatim; one after the other,” Sir Shridath said.