President Irfaan Ali will now be going into the fourth part of meetings today with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro but says there is “absolutely no retreat” from Guyana’s position that the border controversy be determined at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Updating the media on what has transpired so far in his meetings in St Vincent and the Grenadines, he said that the first meeting was among CARICOM Heads and they reasserted their support for Guyana and its position that the controversy be settled at the ICJ.
In the meeting with President Maduro, Ali said that he stated: “I made it very clear that Guyana has all the right to exercise its sovereign right within its territorial space to approve of and facilitate any development any investment, any partnership, any training, any collaboration, any cooperation, the issuing of any licence and the granting of any concession within our territorial space and within our sovereign space. I made it clear that the controversy must be resolved at the ICJ and we are unwavering and resolute in ensuring that Guyana’s case is presented and defended and that the ICJ will issue its decision on the merits of the case which of course is binding on all the parties. I made clear that the process leading to the ICJ is part of the Geneva agreement and that the Geneva Agreement provided for the UN Secretary General to determine where the controversy must be finally determined and it is the UNSG acting within the confines of the Geneva Agreement who determined that that place is the ICJ”.
He added: “We agreed with all he regional partners that the priority is peace and that every threat of force or the use of force must be denounced and that every party must take responsibility. We made it very clear that Guyana is not the aggressor. Guyana is not seeking war but Guyana reserves the right to work with all of our partners to ensure the defence of our country”.
“…the next phase of the meeting (seeks) to enable a process of dialogue on consequential issues – not the issue before the ICJ – consequential issues …that dialogue, the shape and form in understanding how we move forward is the next phase. Both parties committed to ensuring the region remains a zone of peace”, he added.
Asked about the livery on the plane that brought Maduro showing that Essequibo is their territory, Ali held up a wrist band showing the map of Guyana.
“This tells you”, he said, tapping at his wrist band. “I don’t have to think what it means. We know, we know what this means. This is Guyana. All of it belongs to all of Guyana. This is the map of Guyana. No narrative, propaganda, decree can change it. This is Guyana”, he asserted.
