By Svetlana Marshall

One day after the Government of Guyana summoned the Venezuelan Ambassador and sought information on the build up of Venezuelan military troops in areas close to the Guyana border, Second Vice President Bharra Jagdeo today accused the Opposition of entertaining “dangerous notions” on the border controversy, which he believes could lead to a misunderstanding of Guyana’s unified position on the controversy.

Mr. Jagdeo said while a recent press conference led by the Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton sought to address the increasing presence of Venezuelans in Guyana, the panel also entertained the notion that there was a willingness on the part of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration to give up part of Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone. He said that has never been the case.

“They entertained this notion that somehow that we were going to cede control of our Exclusive Economic Zone or we agreed to share our Exclusive Economic Zone with Venezuela and that I had said that we agreed to do this,” the Vice President said.

Vice President Jagdeo made it clear that regardless of the Government in power, Guyana has never budged from its position that the Arbitral Award of 1899, which settled the border between Guyana and Venezuela is valid.

“Let me make it clear that any time in our history has any government moved away from our position that there has been a final solution to our borders with Venezuela based on the arbitration that took place in 1899 and the demarcation of our boundaries in 1905. No government in independent Guyana has ever changed that position or has suggested anywhere locally or internationally, that we have a different view on that matter,” the Vice President said.

Emphasizing that the country will not cede control of its Exclusive Economic Zone, the Vice President alluded to the fact that the controversy is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“Now, our maritime boundaries, the demarcation of the maritime boundaries, the final demarcation will have to await the decision there. But as far as we know, based on our land borders, we know what the maritime boundaries are, and there has been not a single proposal ever to share this with Venezuela, our Exclusive Economic Zone. But the mere fact that they entertained this at the press conference could be viewed from abroad as though we have a difference of views,” Jagdeo reasoned.

He said the notion was peddled and entertained at a time when Venezuela’s Government and Opposition were meeting and having agreements.

“In Venezuela, the Government and Opposition have been at loggerheads for a very long time, and the differences there are huge and intractable and they have led to Venezuela even being sanctioned by the international community, even worse than the differences here between the Government and the Opposition. And they could have united around one issue, which is the border issue, and here we had the Leader of the Opposition and his side kick, the lapdog Ramjattan, going to a press conference to address this matter and entertaining Adam Harris and Benschop who were just trying to score cheap political points at the extensive of our national solidarity on this matter,” the Vice President said.

In September, President Irfaan Ali briefed Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton on the ongoing threats against Guyana by its neighbour, and the two agreed that Guyana has the right to undertake economic activity within its territory and in its appurtenant maritime territories.

The Opposition has said it stands firmly behind the Government of Guyana on the border issue. It has, however, called for more information to be shared with the parliamentary opposition.

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