MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela and Guyana not to use force over Essequibo dispute

Ali and Maduro will meet again in three months in Brazil

Presidents Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and Irfaan Ali of Guyana agreed Thursday in St. Vincent and the Grenadines not to threaten each other or use force in any circumstances. The 11-topic understanding was reached in the first round of talks brokered by host Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves as president pro-tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).

Tension between the two countries escalated after the Dec. 3 referendum where Venezuelans supported the idea of annexing the disputed Essequibo area under Guyanese control since 1899.

Both countries issued a joint communiqué stating that “any dispute” will be resolved “in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement” of 1966. They also pledged to continue with “dialogue on any other outstanding issues of mutual importance” and to refrain, “whether in word or deed, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from any dispute.”

Caracas and Georgetown will also “cooperate to avoid incidents on the ground that lead to tensions” and, in case of such an event, ”immediately communicate with each other, with the Caribbean Community (Caricom), with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and with the President of Brazil“, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to ”contain it, reverse it and prevent it from recurring.“

In addition to Celac, Lula, Caricom, and the United Nations are involved in the dialogue process.

It was also announced Thursday that a ”joint commission“ was to be established at a Foreign Ministry level to ”deal with mutually agreed issues.“ An update from the body is due ”within three months” when Ali and Maduro convene again somewhere in Brazil.

Also Thursday, Guyana ratified its adherence to the process and procedures by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the resolution of the border dispute while Venezuela denied the ICJ any jurisdiction over the matter, all of which was duly noted.

Before the meeting, Ali insisted the territorial dispute would have a “binding” solution from the ICJ. “I made it very clear that Guyana has every right to exercise its sovereign right within its territorial space and to approve and facilitate any development, investment, partnership, agreement, collaboration, cooperation, the granting of any license and the granting of any concession within our territorial space,” he told reporters. He also recalled that Guyana was “not the aggressor” and ”does not seek war.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Gonsalves, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica (Acting President of Caricom), and Lula da Silva of Brazil will remain valid interlocutors while UN Secretary-General António Guterres will be an observer of the process. It was also agreed that Prime Minister Gonsalves' role will continue even after St. Vincent and the Grenadines ceases to be President Pro-Tempore of Celac and Prime Minister Skerrit's role will continue as a member of the Caricom Bureau.

Lula was represented at Thursday's gathering by Special Envoy Celso Amorim.