GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Respected Guyanese international relations expert, Dr Mark Kirton, Friday called on Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders to hold an urgent summit ahead of Venezuela’s planned December 3 referendum as Caracas’s continues its bid to gain ownership of the mineral and forest-rich county of Essequibo.
Dr. Mark Kirton (left) and Attorney General Anil Nandlall SCKirton, who was part of a panel discussing the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy at the Bishops’ High School here, said the regional leaders should now go beyond issuing statements on the dispute that is also before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“I reiterate the call for a meeting of CARICOM heads before the 3rd of December with the sole item on the agenda being the existential threat to Guyana’s sovereignty and a pledge for unequivocal and unwavering support for Guyana,” Kirton told the panel.
He said he also believes that there should be “a consideration for an enhanced regional security system to serve as part of a broader international strategic deterrence mission, which could act as a counterweight to any potential aggression by our neighbours”.
The Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of the West Indies (UWI) described Venezuela as a “class bully” but said nonetheless that “diplomacy must continue to be our first line of defence.
“We need enhanced robust relationships with countries like Brazil and greater alliance with countries not only in this hemisphere but also with the African Union and the Brits, Russia.
“We have to go to all of those who have been, in a sense, on the fence and get the unequivocal support from our own brothers and sisters in the region,” the academic said.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week reserved its judgement to Guyana’s claim that it has evidence that Venezuela intends to gain ownership of the mineral and forest-rich county of Essequibo through a referendum on December 3.
Both Guyana and Venezuela made made presentations to the ICJ during two-days of hearing into the case relating to the 1899 Arbitral Award after Guyana, in its request, had said that the Venezuela government, through its National Electoral Council had published a list of five questions that it intends to put before the people of Venezuela in a “Consultative Referendum” next month.
Guyana applied to the ICJ in 2018 to have the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the border between Venezuela and the then-British Guiana, confirmed as legally enforceable. The 1899 ruling was likewise cited in this application as a ‘full, perfect, and final settlement’ of all issues pertaining to drawing the borders between Venezuela and the British Guiana province.
The 15-member CARICOM grouping, the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat and and the Organization of American States (OAS) have also rejected the referendum stating that international law strictly prohibits the Government of one State from unilaterally seizing, annexing or incorporating the territory of another state and noted that the referendum will open the door to the possible violation of this fundamental tenet of international law.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, who was also a member of the panel, said that CARICOM in September had issued one of the strongest statements in support of Guyana.
“That statement embodies a view of every single CARICOM Head of State and CARICOM nation. When you read the language and tone of the statement, there is not a single person who can sense any equivocation or any ambiguity regarding that support.
“Whether we should have another engagement dedicatedly for this purpose, is a matter that our government as a collective will have to invite the entire CARICOM to convene. It is not a decision that the Government of Guyana can make, and unilaterally imposed on a community of about 15-17 different governments,” Nandlall said, adding that the government remains committed to explore every single option available to safeguard Guyana and its population.
