Guyana: canciller argentina se ofrece a mediar en disputa teritorial con Venezuela
La compañía estadounidense Exxon Mobil se prepara para estudiar las condiciones del suelo marino antes de construir la infraestructura requerida para evaluar el yacimiento de petróleo que localizó en las aguas costeras de la región de Esequibo, en Guyana, cuya soberanía es reclamada por Venezuela.
En declaraciones a la prensa transmitidas vía internet, el gerente de operaciones de riesgo de la empresa en Guyana, Dave Puls, indicó desde Guyana que este nuevo estudio es necesario para “evaluar la comercialización del descubrimiento” del pozo denominado Liza-1 y que se encuentra en el bloque Stabroek.
Puls realizó el martes una visita guiada a reporteros de la embarcación Fugro Americas, que ha sido contratada por Exxon Mobil para llevar a cabo el estudio de suelo marino del yacimiento, con representantes de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. y la Comisión de Geología y Minas de Guyana.
“Es muy importante para nosotros entender las condiciones del lecho marino antes de que podamos planificar una construcción. Estas son actividades previas al desarrollo”, dijo el gerente de operaciones de la compañía estadounidense.
Exxon Mobil inició operaciones de exploración en aguas de Guyana en marzo pasado a través de un proyecto de 200 millones de dólares que se espera que se prolongue durante diez años.
El bloque Stabroek, que se encuentra en la cuenca entre Guyana y Surinam, es reconocido por el Servicio Geológico de EE.UU. como la segunda mayor área del mundo con petróleo sin explorar.
En mayo, la petrolera anunció el hallazgo de un yacimiento de petróleo en el bloque Stabroek. El pozo fue perforado por la filial local de Exxon Mobil, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana, que encontró un yacimiento de crudo de más de 90 metros (295 pies) de alta calidad.
El Gobierno venezolano respondió al hallazgo con un decreto que redistribuye al territorio venezolano en áreas conocidas como Zonas Operativas de Defensa Integral e incluye ese territorio marítimo en discusión.
Venezuela y Guyana mantienen una controversia por el Esequibo, una zona de unos 160.000 kilómetros cuadrados que los venezolanos reclaman y que supone dos terceras partes del territorio guyanés.
Guyana, Argentina cement ties …with eye on peaceful resolution of border controversy
A FORMER facilitator for the United Nations (UN) in the Guyana–Venezuela border controversy has been appointed the new Foreign Affairs Minister in Argentina and she has signalled her country’s intention to support a peaceful resolution to the ongoing issue. Ms Susana Malcorra, the former Cabinet Chief of Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, was sworn in recently by President Mauricio Macri in Buenos Aires. She has visited Guyana for talks with President David Granger in relation to finding modalities for resolving the controversy raised by Venezuela’s false claim to Guyana’s territory.
While in Argentina for the inauguration of President Macri, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo met Ms Malcorra and congratulated her on her new appointment. Mr. Nagamootoo also exchanged views on the controversy with the newly appointed President of Uruguay, Tabare Vazquez, and President of Haiti, Michel Martelly. On the sidelines of the inauguration, the Prime Minister met with several other Heads of State, including the Presidents of Chile, Colombia and Paraguay, and with the former King of Spain, Juan Carlos Philippi. Nagamootoo said he is looking forward to closer cooperation between Guyana and Argentina, and to renewed bonds of friendship with all other states of South and Central America.
In an article in the Guyana Chronicle recently, Retired Diplomat Odeen Ishmael said Macri’s victory at the recent poll is evidence that support for leftist pro-socialist governments in the Union of South American States (UNASUR) is losing its momentum. Ishmael said countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, which had shown strong opposition to the United States and neoliberal capitalism, are facing economic challenges that negatively affect their influence among their own citizens and those of other countries in the continental bloc.
Additionally, he said, that Macri administration, no doubt, will continue to expand Argentina’s relations with other South American states, particularly those, like Guyana, with smaller economies. Relations between Guyana and Argentina have advanced relatively well ever since Argentina established its embassy in Georgetown in 2011. On May 22, 2014, the two countries announced an exchange programme on tourism training and management of protected areas, to be financed by the Argentine Fund for Horizontal Cooperation. Argentina also has provided cooperation to Guyana’s Protected Areas Commission (PAC), with proposed exchange visits of the commission’s representatives and those from the Argentina National Parks Administration (APN). The plan is be for the APN officials to provide technical assistance in the development, planning and management of protected areas within the framework of PAC’s 2012-2015 action plan.
Then, on June 5, 2014, the two countries entered into a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a consultative mechanism on matters of common interest. The memorandum provided for consultations on all aspects of the bilateral relationship, especially in the areas of political, economic, commercial, scientific, technical, environmental protection, educational and cultural cooperation, through meetings to be conducted at the level of ministers and senior officials.
More recently, on June 17, 2015, the Guyana Agriculture Minister and the Argentine ambassador discussed possible areas for collaboration centred on soil and post-harvest management, animal husbandry, research in agriculture biotechnology, value-added production, and marketing. It is now hoped that the new administration in Argentina, despite its planned cut-back on spending, will not curtail these cooperation activities, but will actively move to expand them.
