Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is urging President David Granger to ensure he makes himself available for the United Nations (UN) facilitated talks with his counterpart Nicolas Maduro in New York this weekend.

Mr. Jagdeo believes this meeting is particularly important if the two neighbors are to resolve the current border controversy that has flared up in recent days.

Speaking to the media at Freedom House on Friday, the Opposition Leader said he fully supports the government in its pursuit to protect the integrity of the country’s borders but believes, at same time, the administration must keep a channel open for dialogue that will maintain trade flows and functional cooperation.

“We are neighboring countries and that will never change… I believe only through dialogue you can resolve problems,” Mr. Jagdeo said, as he called on the President to ensure that the meeting happens in a bid to lower tensions between the two countries and resume cooperation.

The Opposition Leader said the President should also use the opportunity to renegotiate a new rice for oil agreement with the Venezuelans under the PetroCaribe agreement.

“There is no room belligerence, pugnacious or arrogant foreign policy,” Jagdeo warned as he stressed that the only strength Guyana has, as a small developing nation, is diplomacy and dialogue.

Jagdeo was adamant that should the government not renegotiate a new deal with the Venezuelans for the export of rice, local farmers stand to suffer tremendously.

When asked to comment specifically on the military buildup in Eastern Venezuelan, close to the border that the country shares with Guyana, Jagdeo declined.

“As a former Commander-in-Chief and now Opposition Leader I am reluctant to give a public comment on the matter until I have heard from the government,” he said.

He is awaiting a briefing from the government on the situation having already committed the party’s full support for the government on border related matters.

“The government has not contacted us and I don’t want to say anything that would put our government in a difficult position, so I will wait until we have heard from the government about the gravity of the situation and what they are doing.”

He urged the government not to allow Venezuela to argue that Guyana is a belligerent nation in its response to the perceived threat of force from that country.

The Opposition Leader said that the two countries must be careful not to turn a border issue into economic sanctions.

In this regard, Mr Jadgeo claimed that Guyana threw the first stone of economic sanctions when it prevented Venezuela’s state owned CONVIASA airline from flying from the CJIA over the non-payment of bond fees.

He said what is important is that the entire Commonwealth and CARICOM are in solidarity with Guyana and urged President Granger to lobby large countries including Canada, India and the United Kingdom, all of who are part of the Commonwealth.

Already the Venezuelan Head of State has publicly stated his interest in meeting with President Granger on the sidelines of the ongoing 70th UN General Assembly. President Granger has indicated that he is prepared to meet with the Venezuelan President at the UN facilitated talks which are set to take place on Sunday.  (Kurt Campbell for News Source)

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