—Jagdeo
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday said that his position had always been for Guyana to be part of the Brazil sponsored South American Defence Council.
This is at variance with what Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon has had to say on the subject. Late last month, following the visit of Brazil’s Defence Minister Nelson Jobim to Georgetown, Stabroek News had enquired from Luncheon whether Guyana would join the defence council. He had replied that that there was no immediate intention for Guyana to become a member, abandon its non-alignment principle and “engage in the formation of, or adopt membership in a defence or military pact.”