Chavez hopes for 'practical' solution to border row
From Sharief Khan in Brasilia
BRASILIA - Venezuela President Hugo Chavez is placing critical importance on scheduled talks here today with President Bharrat Jagdeo on the longstanding controversy over the Essequibo. He told a news conference at the Hotel Nacional shortly after arriving for the historic summit of South American Presidents starting today, that he was optimistic about finding a peaceful solution to the row within the framework of the 1965 Geneva Agreement under which both countries are looking for a mutual settlement. This is a "very, very important meeting", Chavez said adding that he has "profound faith and hope that we would find a peaceful way to solve the (problems) with Guyana." Mr Jagdeo is due here this afternoon and the two are scheduled to meet before the formal opening of this first ever conference of South American Presidents being hosted by Brazil President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Chavez declined to speculate on the outcome of today's meeting but signalled that he prefers a speeding up of the settlement process under the auspices of the United Nations, noting it had still not found a solution after 35 years. "We want to find a peaceful and useful solution", within the Geneva Agreement, he said at a packed briefing room in the hotel where Cardoso's guests are staying. Chavez said working within the framework of the Geneva Agreement would be the basis of his talks with the Guyana President at which Venezuela would raise concerns about Guyana granting timber and other concessions in the Essequibo. Venezuela has objected to Guyana giving oil exploratory licences to American firms offshore the region. The two Presidents, among the youngest heads of state in the world, first met in Havana, Cuba in April this year at a conference of the South group and their Foreign Ministers, Mr Clement Rohee and Mr Jose Vicente Rangel worked out an agenda for today's meeting in Caracas last week. Rangel told the Chronicle the talks today will cover Venezuela's concerns about the Beal Aerospace satellite launch project in the northwest Guyana region, the concessions Guyana has granted foreign investors in the region, the border row, drugs trafficking and cooperation in education, the environment and other sectors under the high level bilateral commission. A map of Venezuela showing the shaded portion of the Essequibo as Venezuela's `Zone of Reclamation', was conveniently placed on the wall behind him for the news conference. Chavez left his seat for a while and used a metal pointer to illustrate on that and another map the historical outline of the controversy, giving Venezuela's side of the arguments. He restated Venezuela's concerns about the spaceport project by the United States Beal firm, claiming it would be used to launch not only satellites but rockets. Guyana has maintained that the spaceport would not be used for military purposes. With Venenzuela's Ambassador to Brazil, Dr Milos Alcalay translating in English, Chavez claimed the Beal scheme is "also very ambitious because they also want to build a town, port, runway" and other facilities at the site. He said the Beal project was also in an area where Venezuela has an exit to the Atlantic Ocean. Chavez asserted too that the Beal firm would not allow Guyanese authorities into the area and said Venezuela was concerned about the environmental impact of the spaceport. "We want to be oriented in the Geneva Agreement...we want a practical solution...this is what we are looking for", he said, sending "our best and deepest consideration" to the "brotherly people of Guyana...a country that we deeply admire." The South American Presidents meeting today and tomorrow at the Itamaraty Palace will be looking at a 10-point action plan to bring the 12 countries closer and at human rights, democracy, drugs and related crimes and information technology.
 Follow the goings-on in Guyana
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