Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves publicly described the agenda for the meeting between the two Presidents as being in the interest of “peaceful coexistence,” respect for international law and avoidance of the use of the threats of force. In somewhat more detail, President Irfaan Ali’s understanding of the agenda for talks was based on the framework established by the Communique of Caricom Heads of December 8, 2023. The Heads had declared support for Guyana’s pursuit of a solution to the controversy through the International Court of Justice (ICJ), urged Venezuela to respect the conservatory measures of the ICJ and reiterated Caricom’s commitment to the Caribbean as a zone of peace and to international law. The Communique called for a “de-escalation of the conflict through an appropriate dialogue between the leaders to ensure peaceful co-existence, the application and respect for international law and the avoidance of the use or threats of force. President Ali in his letter of December 12 to Dr. Ralph Gonsalves proposed to: defend Guyana’s sovereignty over Essequibo; argue for the resolution of the controversy by the ICJ; persuade Venezuela to observe the conservatory measures issued by the ICJ; propose the de-escalation of the conflict by avoiding the use or threat of force; argue for respect for international law. Essentially, therefore, President Ali and Caricom were on the same page as regards the agenda for the meeting and included on that page were Caricom’s support for Guyana both as regards the controversy and Guyana’s reliance on the ICJ.
