United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo arrived in Guyana yesterday afternoon, the second stop in his South American tour of four countries and last evening attended a dinner with President Irfaan Ali.
Under heavy security, Pompeo was whisked away to the capital from the Cheddi Jagan Inter-national Airport (CJIA) shortly after his plane landed around 5pm. The first time on Guyana soil for any US Secretary of State, Pompeo was welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd and US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah Ann Lynch.
The same level of security was seen even before Pompeo’s arrival as the CJIA was teeming with SWAT police, sniffer dogs and heavily armed secret service agents. A Guyana Defence Force chopper circled the CJIA airspace before the inbound flight and when the entourage of about 20 vehicles departed, it continued its oversight role.
However, for locals, traffic on the lone East Bank of Demerara main access road was congested along the way to George-town.
In the capital, streets were cordoned off around State House as well as parts of Kingston where the Marriott and Pegasus hotels are located.
Last evening’s “working dinner” was held at State House but details of the discussion were unavailable up to press time.
The Department of Public Information stated: “The Secretary of State was then given an official welcome by His Excel-lency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and First Lady, Mrs. Arya Ali, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall and other Government officials at State House, Georgetown.”
Today, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for joint maritime patrols with Guyana to interdict drugs and mitigate the security threats posed to the region by Venezuela will also be on the agenda, and a Growth of the Americas (referred to as América Crece) MoU will be signed between the two countries that positions this country, with US help, to bolster private sector investment in infrastructure.
The US said that it has helped to train Guyana’s Port Control Unit to deter the trafficking of cocaine and other illicit goods through this country. Its Coast Guard provides training and mentoring to the Maritime Administra-tion Department (MARAD) in order to improve port security. And the United States military provides training for Guyana Defence Force personnel every year, which includes a current student at the US Coast Guard Academy.
It is on this continuing security cooperation that Washington said that following the Secretary’s visit, “a bilateral Shiprider Agreement will come into force, enabling joint maritime and airspace patrols to interdict narcotics. This joins recent donations of [US]$200,000 in equipment and interceptor boat parts to strengthen Guyana’s ability to patrol its territorial waters.”
The Growth in the Americas MoU “… will permit Guyana to improve its investment-enabling environment so that the country can benefit from transparent infrastructure investment that respects Guyana’s sovereignty,” a senior US official yesterday told reporters in Washington.”
“This whole-of-government approach channels the resources and expertise of many US government agencies in a coordinated effort to help countries attract private sector investment. For example, under América Crece, the United States assists countries to improve their regulatory frameworks and procurement structures to meet the requirements of limited-recourse project financing,” the US government explained.
Pompeo’s office said that Washington is committed to helping Guyana build an attractive investment climate with the right regulations and protections in place.
“The United States is the primary source of Guyana’s imports, worth more than $2 billion. Today’s signing of a Growth in the Americas Memorandum of Under-standing seeks to draw more US private sector investment to build Guyana’s physical infrastructure, energy sector, and digital economy, and to do so transparently,” it said.
“The United States supported the development of Guyana’s energy sector through technical partnership on best practices for energy sector policy, regulation, and revenue management. The US Depart-ment of the Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance supports training and development within the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Large Tax-payer Division. These recommendations will help Guyana develop its natural resource wealth in a way that benefits the Guyanese people,” it added.
Specific focus, when Pompeo meets with leaders of all the countries, will be the strengthening of security against threats emanating from Venezuela and finding a resolution to the influx of refugees. In Guyana, a commitment for joint maritime patrols to bolster the fight against the narco trade will be sought, the official had said.
There has been widespread speculation that Pompeo’s swing through northern South America is intended to intensify Washington’s campaign to oust the Nicolas Maduro regime in Caracas. Guyana has been warned that any such entanglement could jeopardise its border controversy case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Pompeo leaves Guyana later today for Brazil then on to Colombia before returning home tomorrow.
