The Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C government will retain the services of former Minister of Foreign Affairs and People’s National Congress Reform executive Carl Greenidge until the Guyana-Venezuela border case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ended.
Greenidge’s services onwards at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) will depend on if the new President wants him to stay as an advisor on border matters and his own willingness to serve.
It is unclear if Greenidge’s name will be on the APNU+AFC list of persons to serve as parliamentarians in the 12th Parliament. That list is expected to be submitted to GECOM this week.
This newspaper has reached out to Greenidge on several occasions but messages and calls to him have not been answered.
“Mr Greenidge is on the team, he will be on the team until the conclusion of this matter,” newly-appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd said when asked by Stabroek News yesterday.
Todd, who was sworn in on Wednesday and met with staff of MoFA on Thursday, said that he was briefed on the ICJ matter by Greenidge. “He has already briefed me on the current position. I think the ICJ meets in September. He is still very integrally involved. We are very happy to have his service and he is very committed to the process,” Todd said.
A source involved in the matter told this newspaper that while Greenidge will lose his Foreign Secretary position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he is Guyana’s co-agent at the ICJ and Ali understands that the matter is a state-to-state matter and not political. “This is a state matter and had the support of the PPP/C from the beginning. It is not political, it is a national issue. When the case was filed it was filed for the country of Guyana. He is a co-agent and you cannot change your co-agent just like that. Remember too, there is also a parliamentary committee here and both sides see this border issues as joined,” the source said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs echoed that the ICJ case was not political. “This is not a political issue, this is a national issue and he recognizes that and he is very accommodating to us. He is still on the team and still actively involved,” Todd said.
And when asked if Greenidge will see the case through to the end, he replied, “of course, yes.”
But asked about Greenidge’s employment status when the case is over, he said, “That is not necessary now. What is necessary now is his commitment to the process.” On moving forward, Todd said that he could not say as the fate of Greenidge’s retainer status “depends on the former minister himself and his discussions with President Ali.”
Greenidge previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under the APNU+AFC government but had to resign after dual citizenship was ruled as unconstitutional for parliamentarians. He was later appointed as Foreign Secretary in the Ministry. He subsequently gave up his British citizenship in order to contest the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Just after the March 2nd general elections he was thanked for his services as Foreign Secretary. A new arrangement was then reached with him that allowed him to function as Guyana’s co-agent before the ICJ at the end of June this year.
