Diferendo territorial: tras mediación de Ban Ki-moon, presidentes de Venezuela y Guyana restituyen a sus embajadores
El presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, informó que los embajadores de Venezuela y Guyana regresarán a cumplir sus labores diplomáticas.
Tras una reunión trilateral que sostuvo con su homólogo guyanés, David Granger, y el secretario general de las Naciones Unidas, Ban Ki-moom, el mandatario venezolano dijo que “regresaría nuestra embajadora de manera inmediata a la capital de la República Cooperativa de Guyana”.
“Queremos relaciones de hermandad. Yo le dije al presidente (David) Granger que Venezuela no ha sido ni será jamás un país imperialista, proimperialista procolonialista; nosotros somos antiimperialistas, anticolonialistas, nosotros desarrollamos una doctrina bolivariana chavista de hermandad que está profunda en los 10 años de existencia de Petrocaribe”, dijo Maduro.
Indicó que le propuso al mandatario guyanés que tuvieran comunicación permanente para no permitir que nadie mienta y convierta la mentira en efecto provocador que afecte la paz de ambos países y el Caribe.
“Por ahora regresan los embajadores, y a partir del regreso de los embajadores yo aspiro, así le he dado instrucciones a la canciller (Delcy Rodríguez) a que se comunique permanentemente con el canciller de Guyana”, subrayó.
A la vez, sostuvo que él va a empezar a comunicarse con el presidente Granger hasta que logre, con la compañía de los países hermanos del Caribe, tener una relación fluida de diálogo de conversaciones y “así despejar todos los ruidos que pretenden meter transnacionales petroleras como la Exxon Mobil”.
“Son primeros pasos, yo le dije al presidente Granger mirémonos a los ojos hablemos, conversemos, por muchas diferencias que pueden haber en un punto o en un caso, nuestros pueblos están destinados a la hermandad y al acercamiento”, manifestó.
COMISIÓN TÉCNICA EVALUARÁ SITUACIÓN
Por otra parte, el mandatario venezolano informó que en los próximos días una comisión de la ONU vendrá al país para hacer un trabajo integral sobre las circunstancias y la situación actual del reclamo venezolano sobre la Guayana Esequiba.
“El secretario general (Ban Ki-moom) se ha comprometido, luego de esta visita, a hacer un estudio de todas las opciones que nos da el Acuerdo de Ginebra en el artículo 33 de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas”, detalló Maduro.
Sostuvo que Venezuela ha “insistido en la necesidad de activar los buenos oficios, que es la última decisión de consenso entre Guyana, Venezuela y el Acuerdo de Ginebra y la Secretaría General de la ONU”, luego indicó que hay que “poner tiempo para los buenos oficios, tiempo límite”.
El Presidente manifestó la necesidad que “de los buenos oficios surjan los canales políticos diplomáticos internacionales para la resolución definitiva dentro de la doctrina del Acuerdo de Ginebra”.
En cuanto a la reunión, informó que fue un logro de la diplomacia de paz, de la diplomacia bolivariana de paz.
A su vez agradeció a todos los primeros ministros del Caribe y al secretario general Ban Ki-moom.
Finalmente, ofreció todo el apoyo a la ONU para seguir avanzando. “Creo que es un logro necesario para nuestro pueblo y nosotros ahora vamos a recibir a la comisión que va a mandar el secretario Ban Ki-moom y trabajaremos mostrando todos los documentos históricos de este reclamo justo, moral e histórico de Venezuela sobre la Guayana Esequiba”, enfatizó Maduro.
UN to visit Venezuela to investigate border claims
The highly-anticipated meeting between Guyanese President David Granger and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro amid the ongoing border controversy saw the leaders agreeing to have a United Nations delegation visit the Spanish-speaking nation to investigate its claims to two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass.
“These are complex, sensitive issues. We will receive a special technical committee of the UN, to work on the circumstances and this Venezuelan claim,” Maduro told the press following the meeting on late Sunday evening in New York on the sidelines of the UN 70th General Assembly.
Based on reports, Maduro will be presenting several documents to support his country’s claims.
On the other hand, President Granger told the press that he was convinced that Guyana’s position on the border issue is a legal one, contending that Venezuela has no evidence to support its “spurious” claims.
Despite the difference in opinion regarding the claims, both Heads of Government agreed to arrive at a peaceful resolution, noting that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who mediated the meeting, has a menu of measures which can be implemented to have the matter resolved once and for all. They also agreed to continue engaging in bilateral communication aimed at rebuilding a functional diplomatic relationship through the exchange of Ambassadors.
In light of the rekindled border controversy, Maduro has recalled Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz and has also recently refused to accept the credentials of Guyana’s new Ambassador to Venezuela Cheryl Miles. However, following the meeting, President Maduro said he was committed to having the Ambassadors resume their work.
President Granger told reporters that he believed all the provocations on the border controversy came from Venezuela.
“It was the Venezuelans which withdrew their Ambassador from Georgetown. It was the Venezuelans which refused to give our nominees for ambassadorship, Ms Cheryl Miles, agreement. It was the Venezuelans which held military manoeuvres on the border. It was the Venezuelans that promulgated the decree on the 26th May…,” he stated.
Furthermore, Granger asserted that Guyana has always been open to dialogue on the matter and therefore, will continue to welcome more opportunities of this nature amid the ongoing controversy.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan military appears to be scaling down its presence at the Guyana-Venezuela border.
This observation was made just moments before the historical meeting between President Maduro and President Granger to discuss the boundary controversy between the two states- with the intention of arriving at an amicable resolution to the decades-old issue.
Venezuela had claimed that the increased military presence was for an “operations exercise”.
However, this move did not sit too well with the Guyana Government, which put the country on alert, saying its troops would be observing and defining Venezuela’s aggression.
The increased presence of Venezuelan military at the border was seen as a “provocative” move, given the fact that the Spanish-speaking nation had only just a few months ago issued a decree purporting to claim Guyana’s maritime space, and said it would issue Venezuelan identification cards to the people of Essequibo.
But just moments before the two Heads of State were scheduled to meet, the armed men were seen retreating from the area.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon confirmed this. “The way we were responding to Venezuela is appropriate…as of yesterday, the reports we have, is that Venezuela has started to remove. They started scaling back – the gun boat that was in the Cuyuni is now removed and the armament they had there is now moved towards inland Venezuela,” Harmon had stated.
Given this development, it remains uncertain whether or not Guyana will follow suit and have its military scale down its presence at the border.
The Guyana-Venezuela border was settled since 1899 by an Arbitral Award which Venezuela is now claiming is null and void.
This move came in light of the recent announcement by US oil giant ExxonMobil of its discovery of a significant reserve of high quality crude oil in Guyana’s offshore waters.
