There will be no negotiations on the border controversy – President Ali

While there is no objection to the upcoming meeting with the President of Venezuela, Guyana’s President, Ifraan Ali has made it clear that there will be no negotiations on the ongoing border controversy.

Over the weekend, it was announced by Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves that the leaders of the two countries, along with Brazil’s President, have agreed to meet in SVG for face-to-face discussions.

The announcement hinted at the possibility for an easing of tensions between Guyana and Venezuela over claims to the oil-rich Essequibo region.

The tipping point in the century-long land dispute came after Venezuela’s December 3 referendum where it was reported that over 90 per cent of the population voted in favour of the creation of a new Venezuelan state in the Essequibo region. This was followed by an announcement by Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro to the state oil company to “immediately” begin to explore and exploit the oil, gas and mines in Guyana’s Essequibo region, as reported in international media.

Guyana’s President, Ifraan Ali, responded to President Maduro’s announcement by petitioning the United Nations Security Council to weigh in on the matter.

On the same day as the announcement of the SVG meeting, the parliamentary opposition coalition of A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) said while it welcomed the decision to meet, discussion on the border controversy must not be the subject of those talks.

“The opposition believes that there must not be any discussions of the territorial controversy between our two countries as this matter is properly before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and this process must be allowed to take its course so that it is settled within the confines of international law,” APNU+AFC said in a statement.

President Dr Irfaan Ali has stoutly held the position that the International Court of Justice must determine the final position on the border dispute and he reiterated that Guyana’s position remains “non-negotiable”.

He made the disclosure in a live broadcast on his Facebook page on Sunday, December 10, saying that the meeting with President Maduro is just a “conversation” in the interest of keeping the region a zone of peace.

President Ali said his decision to participate in the meeting in Kingstown came as a result of consultations with stakeholders, Guyana’s technical team, agents, lawyers and the Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton.

“From the inception, we made it very clear that on the issue of our border controversy, there is absolutely no compromise. This matter is before the ICJ and that is where it shall be settled. There are no negotiations on this. There is no compromise on this,” President Ali stressed.

In a December 9 letter addressed to both Presidents, Prime Minister Gonsalves said it is “preferable for leaders of nations in conflict to speak to each other calmly and respectfully to avoid an escalation into threats or the use of force.”

He acknowledged the positions held by both nations, noting there “is much for each of you to raise and/or discuss on matters consequential to the border controversy even as you respect the advice of your respective peoples and Parliament/National Assembly.