President to press border issue in UN address
President David Granger and his delegation meeting with Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and his team at  UN Headquarters, New York on Tuesday
President David Granger and his delegation meeting with Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and his team at UN Headquarters, New York on Tuesday

By Svetlana Marshall in New York
AHEAD of his address today at the United Nations General Assembly, President David Granger secured the support of the Commonwealth and the Republic of Mauritius on the issue of the border controversy with Venezuela.

The President held talks with the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, on Tuesday. Briefing the media on his high-level engagement with Baroness Scotland at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, President Granger disclosed that during that meeting, he reminded the Commonwealth Secretary-General of the commitment made by the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, to refer the territorial controversy to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if significant progress is not made at the level of the Good Offices Process at the end of December, 2017.

He noted that Norwegian diplomat, Dag Halvor Nylander, who was appointed the Personal Representative of the current UN Secretary-General António Guterres, has been visiting both countries as he executes his mandate. “Here in New York, I am looking forward to meeting the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres to get an update on the work of Mr. Nylander, and also to get the secretary-general’s few on how the legacy or the bequest, the testament of Mr. Ban Ki-moon could actually be implemented,” he said. The President said he raised the matter with Baroness Scotland on the basis that the Commonwealth has long supported Guyana on this territorial matter.

In a separate bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy was among issues also discussed. “With regard to the territorial issue between Mauritius and the UK, Guyana has already made forthright statements. We support Mauritius and I also took the opportunity to raise the territorial claims on Guyana’s territory by Venezuela. Mauritius as part of the Commonwealth has always given us support, so there is mutual support in terms of the territorial claims against these two countries,” President Granger told journalists.

The President is expected to address the border controversy when he addresses the General Assembly today during the 72nd Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 72). He is also scheduled to meet with the UN secretary-general on Monday, September 25. The two leaders, in recommitting their support for each other’s country, also discussed the important of protecting the environment.

According to President Granger, protection of the environment will be a key item on the agenda at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting next year in London. “We feel that the Commonwealth would be a good forum to keep the issue of climate change and global warming alive.

We are going to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and I am sure we are going to raise it there,” he posited. Prior to the meeting with Prime Minister Jugnauth, the Head of State also met with Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Grete Faremo and a UN delegation which included Assistant Secretary-General, and UNOPS Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Vitaly Vanshelboim and two Advisers Morten Wetland and Drajan Micic.

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