Focusing on the border rows
Editorial
THIS WEEK'S Summit of South American heads of state offers more than an opportunity for bi-lateral meetings between the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela and possibly also the Presidents of Suriname and Guyana. This important political event in Brazil presents an opportunity for the leaders of the continent of South America to seize a moment in this new millennium to exercise a collective initiative in helping to peacefully resolve age-old border conflicts involving member states in this hemisphere. The leaders cannot be unmindful of the consequences for the hemisphere as a whole if territorial disputes, unresolved at the time of political independence, continue to affect good neighbourliness. Worse, result in more than sabre-rattling to affect orderly social and economic development in the Americas. Guyana for one, as a highly-indebted poor country of the developing nations of the South, has been placed in the most unenviable position of having to face hostilities from its neighbours in the west (Venezuela) and the east (Suriname) despite initiatives already in place to peacefully resolve matters pertaining to the territorial disputes that are more than a century old. The scheduled meeting between Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo and Hugo Chavez follows that between the Foreign Ministers of Guyana (Clement Rohee) and Venezuela (Jose Vincente Rangel). New Efforts We are unaware of any specific arrangement for a bilateral meeting also between President Jagdeo and newly-elected President Ronald Venetiaan of Suriname. But all efforts should be made for at least an informal meeting between them as well, particularly in view of the unfortunate episode involving CGX Energy and Suriname's use of force to frustrate an off-shore oil drilling operation that could have developed into a potentially rewarding joint venture project in the Suriname-Guyana Basin. An informal Jagdeo-Venetiaan meeting, if the opportunity arises, could at least help to remove some of the misunderstandings and misconceptions in Guyana-Suriname relations that emerged during the tense negotiations involving the administration of Venetiaan's predecessor, Jules Wijdenbosch. Guyana, of course, is not interested in scapegoats but in a dignified and mutually satisfactory resolution to the immediate problem as it relates to the off-shore concession granted in 1998 to the Canadian company, CGX Energy. So far as Venezuela is concerned, the hope is that President Chavez could use his overwhelming electoral mandate to place a positive focus on relations with Guyana instead of encouraging the negative and even hostile propagandistic statements that emerged during the election campaign. Fresh efforts in fostering good relations with Guyana by the populist Chavez would have to contend with the new Venezuela constitution under which he now presides for a six-year term. The relevant provision that sends a hostile message to Guyana has to do with the reference to the description of Venezuela's geographical boundaries and non-recognising of the concept of "nullity". This is viewed as an implicit reference to the 1899 Paris Tribunal Award. Unless he has already done so, some time this week the United Nations mediator in the dispute, Barbadian diplomat Oliver Jackman, acting as a Good Officer of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, is to present a report to Annan that will articulate his assessment of his latest meetings with representatives of Guyana and Venezuela. There have been suggestions in various quarters that Guyana may consider formally bringing to the attention of both the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the United Nations the CGX off-shore oil drilling dispute with Suriname as well as the implications of the relevant provision of Venezuela's new constitution for Guyana's territorial sovereignty. While such considerations are being pursued, the Guyana Government seems to have no alternative but to utilise very scarce financial resources to beef up the country's security forces and continue its efforts to attract foreign and local investments for economic development in all areas of the country.  Follow the goings-on in Guyana
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