–AG expects ‘membership’ to prevail over ‘economic interests’

THE Government of Guyana is confident that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will give its unwavering support to Guyana in the ongoing border controversy with Venezuela.

This was disclosed by the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., during a recent interview on the “Morning Edition” with Fazeer Mohammed of Trinidad and Tobago’s CCN TV6. Nandlall was at the time discussing the status of the ongoing border controversy.

During the interview, Mohammed asked whether the Guyana Government had any concerns about Trinidad & Tobago’s loyalty, given the economic relationship it has with Venezuela.

To substantiate his question, Mohammed referenced an agreement inked between Trinidad and Tobago (T&T)’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley and Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in August 2018, for the importation of methane from the Bolivarian Republic’s Dragon Gas Field to the Hibiscus platform in T&T.

In response, Minister Nandlall said that the dilemma will certainly put CARICOM to the test, as it will have to choose whether it will stand with one of its own member states on a matter of fundamental national importance, or whether it will bend and bow to commercial interests.

CARICOM’s mandate is to promote and support “a unified Caribbean Community that is inclusive, resilient, competitive; sharing in economic, social and cultural prosperity.”

Nandlall affirmed that it is the common expectation that in such a situation, an organisation like CARICOM would stand firmly with its member rather than pursue commercial gain.

“I prefer to reside my optimism and my confidence in CARICOM doing that, rather than succumb to some commercial interest of some type to the benefit of one or two members of the organisation, as opposed to the whole of the community, as one family and as one unit, as it is supposed to be,” he said.

Mohammed highlighted that in March last year, CARICOM was left divided when United States (US)’s President Donald Trump invited five territories to a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago Estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

It was alleged that the countries at reference were invited because of their support of the US’s decision two months earlier to vote at the Organisation of American States (OAS) to withhold recognition of “the legitimacy” of Maduro’s new term in office, while other nations adopted a position of non-interference and non-intervention in the matter.

The invitation, which was selectively extended, was at the time viewed as “insulting” by the then CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

But as Minister Nandlall was at pains to explain, like the Government of Guyana, he has every confidence in the Community’s unwavering support; that the Government of Guyana will continue to place its trust in CARICOM, as it is their closest ally in this matter.

CARICOM, on January 12 this year, issued a statement expressing deep disappointment and concern at the January 17 decree made by President Maduro, which claimed sovereignty and exclusive rights to the waters and seabed adjacent to Guyana’s coast, west of the Essequibo River.

SATISFIED

Minister Nandlall, during the course of the interview, expressed satisfaction with the statement coming from the regional body, in that it was “appropriately worded and proportionate to what the threat is at this point in time”.

He added: “In International Law, and when one is exploring diplomatic channels, one has to be careful that one does not overextend oneself and act in a manner disproportionate to the situation at hand.”

Nandlall said there is an expectation abroad that CARICOM will continue to release its written objections, if Muduro persists with his unlawful conduct.

“I have no doubt that should the situation persist and Maduro persists in his illegal utterances and publications, that more appropriately-worded statements to meet the threshold to which he has increased will emanate from the various bodies whose solidarity we are soliciting,” the Attorney- General said.

He stated that the Government of Guyana sought and solicited solidarity and support from many nations. He said that aside from CARICOM, the US government and other international organisations have issued statements denouncing Muduro’s actions.

In March 2018, Guyana filed its application at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking an affirmation of the validity of the1899 Arbitral Award which sets out the boundary between the two countries.

On June 30, 2020, Guyana, in its virtual presentation in the Arbitral Award of October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) case, submitted to the court that not only is Venezuela’s current interpretation of the Geneva Agreement illogical and erroneous, but also in stark contrast to the interpretation the Spanish-speaking country had when it signed the very agreement in February 1966.

On December 18, 2020, the ICJ ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear the case. It was several weeks after this, on January 7, 2021 to be precise, that Maduro issued the latest decree.

Two days later, on January 9, 2021, President Irfaan Ali publicly rejected the decree, explaining that “sovereignty over this coast, and the land territory to which it is attached, were awarded to Guyana (then British Guiana) in the 1899 Arbitral Award, whose validity and legally-binding character Guyana is confident the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will uphold unequivocally.”