The Guyana/Venezuela Boundary dispute; What next?

By the time this paper reaches the streets, a meeting held between the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela, with other CARICOM heads, and representatives of Brazil would have taken place here in SVG. I am not sure what are the expectations among the participants, but one suspects that what is at stake is a commitment by CARICOM and perhaps even Venezuela to make this region a zone of peace.

Given the recent threats by Venezuela however, CARICOM’s statement of December 8 encouraging dialogue between the leaders and a de-escalation of the conflict is quite relevant. I am not sure what there is to dialogue about for both countries have stated their positions. The president of Guyana states clearly that issues related to the disputed boundaries will not be discussed. Maduro claims that his December 3 ‘Consultative Referendum’ seeking support for the occupation of the Essequibo region of Guyana had been supported by over 90 per cent of the people who voted. What is not clear at least to me, is how many persons actually voted. A November 4 article in the Guardian of London was captioned “Maduro vote to claim Guyana’s territory backfires as Venezuelans stay at home.” If the Guardian’s article gives a true reflection of what in reality happened, is Maduro’s willingness to attend the meeting a rethinking of his position or a search for a credible means of delaying any hasty effort at occupying the two-thirds of Guyana that he claims, the oil rich region of the Essequibo?

It is of interest that this conflict is once more emerging at a time when Israel has invaded Gaza. Both issues are steeped in colonial history when the European colonisers dominated and did things and took positions to satisfy their own ends. In Palestine, the UK government through its Balfour declaration paved the way for the establishment of Israel and the forcing out of the Palestinians. The 1835 Schomburgk map of the Essequibo British Guiana region was commissioned by the British government. This map was central to the 1899 Washington Treaty of Arbitration that gave Venezuela control of land surrounding the mouth of the Orinoco river and to Britain all land west of the Essequibo river. Venezuela was dissatisfied and by 1962 declared the Treaty of Arbitration null and void. The United Nations was able to get both parties to sign the Geneva Agreement in February 1966 urging the UK, Venezuela, and what was then still British Guiana, to find a peaceful and satisfactory solution.

Tensions however continued. In a speech in parliament in 1968 two years after Guyana became an independent country, Prime Minister and later President Forbes Burnham reacted to Venezuela’s reference to the possible joint development of the Essequibo region. Guyana, he said was not prepared to accept a Trojan horse. If Venezuela was inspired by a feeling for its brothers, it could do so on the basis as any other country. In responding to Venezuela’s continuing claim to the Essequibo region Burnham stated, “We are agreed that Venezuela, notwithstanding whatever friendships may be at the social and personal levels, is an important aggressor. We are agreed on that; Our collaboration on this question is indeed an anti-imperialist exercise. . .”

So, the conflict has been long-standing and has assumed a degree of urgency with the recent discovery of oil that could make Guyana the third largest oil producer in the region. There is much at stake for both countries. With no solution seemingly in sight, the matter was put to the International Court of Justice, with whom Maduro has some problems since he has matters before them in relation to crimes against humanity. He rejects the jurisdiction of the Court, the same Court that Guyana is hoping to resolve the matter.

The Guyanese president suggests that although the boundary dispute is not up for discussion there are many other issues that should be of concern to all of us in the region about which there could be some discussion. He hopes that some means could be found of de-escalating the tension. He claims that Brazil is in support of Guyana’s position, as it refers to having the matter settled by the ICJ. The ball appears now to be in the hands of Venezuela. Could Maduro pull back from his stated position? If he does, how will he sell that to his electorate whom he claims supports overwhelmingly his claim to the Essequibo region?

Hopefully, Thursday’s meeting will provide us with a sense of the way forward, that involves a de-escalation of the threat by Venezuela. Is Venezuela’s position linked to the upcoming elections in that country? That of course, is a serious question and could determine Maduro’s position.

• Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian