SVG wants clear maritime boundaries

A call has been made for St. Vincent and the Grenadines to sort out its maritime boundaries with all its neighbours.

The suggestion came from Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves while chairing the OECS Heads of Government meeting on Saturday April 22 in Antigua.{{more}}

He said that St.Vincent and the Grenadines maintains friendly relations with all its neighbours i.e. Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Grenada, and St.Lucia but there is a need to settle the boundaries.

“We need to work them out properly, settle them amicably, but I say at the same time to persons whilst we are settling our maritime boundaries through negotiations, St.Vincent and the Grenadines is not going to be used by any other country in the world to have the maritime delimitations issues become a battering ram against any other country,” said Dr. Gonsalves, at a press conference staged at the main administrative centre on Monday, April 24.

He said that this country looks at its interests in the totality of friendly relations with all its neighbours.

Dr. Gonsalves disclosed that efforts are being made to set up an OECS unit to address the question of maritime delimitations.

Recently Barbados and Trinidad went to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague to settle its boundaries dispute.

The proceedings were initiated by Barbados in February of 2004 after years of wrangling with Trinidad and Tobago over fishing and other rights. The PetroCaribe agreement was also discussed at the meeting.