Guyana’s agent on the current border matter before the International Court of Justice, Former Foreign Minister, Carl Greenigde, today rejected Venezuela’s contention that the ICJ should throw out Guyana’s case on the grounds of admissibility.

Delivering the opening presentation at the World Court for Guyana, Mr. Greenidge said Venezuela’s objections appear to not be grounded in law, but it is to derail and delay the process, which will see the matter being settled and binding on all parties once and for all.

“Guyana will demonstrate today that Venezuela’s preliminary objections are both legally unsupportable and entirely without foundation. The Preliminary objections appear to be a device intended to delay and derail the court’s determination of the merits of Guyana’s claims,” Mr. Greenidge told the world court.

Greenidge told the Judges of the International Court that although Venezuela continues to question the jurisdiction of the Court, its participation now to object Guyana’s merits of the case shows that indeed Venezuela has confidence in the Court to hear the border matter.

He said it is his hope that Venezuela will participate in the case until its finality.

He further described Venezuela’s arguments in the case as surprising. Venezuela has argued that an agreement was reached between the Bolivarian Republic and Guyana’s former imperial power—Britain and therefore Britain should have been party to the proceedings and not Guyana.

But Greenidge today told the Court that Britain relinquished its authority over Guyana neatly 60 years ago and never asserted any claim, therefore it has no right or legal interest in respect to the disputed territory. He said Britain also welcomed the decision of the Secretary General to send the matter to the ICJ.

“Despite this, you heard Venezuela yesterday made a startling appeal to the need to protect the dignity of that former imperial power by refusing to exercise jurisdiction over a claim brought by its former imperial possession- Guyana,” Mr. Greenidge said

Greenidge said the Guyanese people have full confidence in the ICJ to resolve the matter and to bring it to finality

Guyana has a retained a battery of international lawyers to argue its case before the ICJ.

The foundation of Guyana’s arguments is based on the premise that the ICJ has already ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the case, and therefore it cannot treat Venezuela’s objection as a serious one, since it will go against its own ruling on the jurisdiction question and the rules of the World Court.

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