Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was not in attendance at the Caricom Heads of Government Summit yesterday, the Barbados Nation reported.
His absence came in wake of an impassioned address by Guyana’s President David Granger to the opening of the summit in Barbados, where he called for full backing against a May 26th, 2015 maritime decree issued by Caracas, which seeks to claim virtually all of Guyana’s Atlantic waters.
Maduro was expected to arrive yesterday but it was revealed that Vice President Jorge Arreaza will be attending instead. No reason has been given for the change, the Barbados Nation report said.
In a comment to the Government Information Agency (GINA), President Granger said he was still willing to meet with the Vice President as he maintained his position that his ultimate goal out of that meeting would be to have the decree withdrawn.
“My concern is the withdrawal of the decree. We feel that this is damaging to regional security. Yes, I’m prepared to meet if this can contribute to resolving the present stage of the conflict,” he was quoted as saying.
Analysts say Granger’s address to the leaders on Thursday evening imploring their support and warning that Venezuela’s expansionist measures threatened several Caricom countries would have left few options outside of outright condemnation by the regional body of Caracas. Maduro’s planned appearance at the summit had apparently been orchestrated by several Caricom leaders with close ties to Venezuela through their countries’ membership of the alternative development group, ALBA. Ssources said it appeared that Venezuela and its Caricom allies were looking for a way to defuse the international uproar that has been triggered by the Venezuelan maritime decree.
Venezuela’s western neighbour Colombia has also lodged a formal objection to the maritime decree and so has Caricom member to the east, Suriname.
Guyana has been pressing for a strong statement from Caricom condemning the Venezuelan decree.
Declaring that gunboat diplomacy has no place in the 21st Century Caribbean, Granger on Thursday used most of his address to pillory Caracas over its May 26th maritime decree. Granger also linked Guyana’s fate to the rest of Caricom, warning that Venezuela’s hegemonic actions threatened an arc in the region stretching to its easternmost member Suriname.
“The task facing the Community today is to reaffirm its collective support for the principles enshrined in international law for safeguarding our territorial integrity and sovereignty and our national independence and in our charters and agreements for deepening the integration of our Community.
“Guyana, even as it approaches the 50th anniversary of its independence next year, hand in hand with its sister Barbados, is still carrying a ‘monkey on its back.’ That monkey, is the unbearable burden of an oppressive and obnoxious claim on our land and sea space,” he said, adverting to Venezuela.
He noted that Caricom has been a source of solace and steadfast support for Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the years and added “We never needed that support more,” he added.
The communique from the summit is scheduled to be released today.
