Presidents Jagdeo, Chavez agree to reduce tensions
From Sharief Khan in Brasilia
BRASILIA - President Bharrat Jagdeo emerged from his first full meeting with Venezuela President Hugo Chavez here yesterday announcing that they have agreed to lower the climate of suspicion between the two countries and are looking at advancing the United Nations-mediated talks on settling the longstanding border row. The two leaders warmly greeted each other shortly after Mr Jagdeo and his delegation arrived here, embracing several times and talking briefly about cricket, before and after they spent about an hour in a private one-on-one meeting with no advisers. Chavez several times said, "I want to play cricket", adding that he has to practise. President Jagdeo said Chavez raised his concerns about the Beal spaceport project in northwest Guyana and told reporters, "I assured him that we have no intention of allowing an American base in the Essequibo." Venezuela has argued the commercial satellite launch pad, which would not be ready before 2003, may be used as a military base, will be a U.S. ``enclave'' and its security in the hands of U.S. officials. Chavez Wednesday 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. But Guyana has maintained that the spaceport would not be used for military purposes and Mr Jagdeo in July said in Guyana, there was ``no provision in this agreement with Beal for troops from the United States or any foreign country to be stationed at the space launch facility.'' Chavez's opposition to the Beal scheme raised tensions between the two countries which UN mediator Oliver Jackman last month noted had triggered grounds for alarm. President Jagdeo said yesterday's meeting did not go into specifics but he pointed out to Chavez "the need to reduce tensions (and) we agreed to that." "...rather than getting into specific proposals, we spent more of our time discussing general issues, cooperation between the two countries and the need to enhance that...to create a climate that is conducive to development (and) free of suspicion," he told journalists. He said he raised some of the problems Guyanese fishermen face in the border region and reported that Chavez has promised to look into the matter. Mr Jagdeo said the two discussed "re-energising" the UN Good Officer process which Jackman, a respected Barbados diplomat is overseeing, to find a solution to the border controversy. "We spoke about the possibility of dynamising the Good Officer process" within the mandate of the 1966 Geneva Agreement between the two countries under which the matter was referred to the UN, he said. The Guyana President explained that meant at the same time working to "develop closer cooperation between the two countries, especially through the...high level bilateral commission on a whole range of issues". These could serve as "confidence-building measures", he told the Chronicle. Dynamising the process was raised last month with Jackman when Mr Jagdeo invited him to Guyana for urgent talks amid the rising tensions stirred by Chavez's concerns over the Beal project. Guyana is to put to Venezuela a proposal to delimit their maritime boundaries while Venezuela recognises the existing land boundary but this was not discussed yesterday, Mr Jagdeo said. The proposal is for the process of delimitation to be outside the UN Good Officer arrangement with possible technical assistance from the UN, and Guyana wants to put this to Venezuela "at some stage", he said. "We could not put that here...the meeting did not get into specific proposals", he explained. "I did not discuss that with Chavez but I think that we should move (in that direction) and we would be putting that proposal to the Venezuelans." The discussions also covered extensive cooperation in many areas, including easing poverty and drugs trafficking generally, the President said. With him at this historic first meeting of South American Presidents are First Lady Varshnie Jagdeo, Foreign Minister Clement Rohee, Ambassadors Elisabeth Harper, Bayney Karran (to Venezuela) and Cheryl Miles (to Brazil). Venezuelan journalists covering the summit said it was unusual for Chavez to meet one-on-one with another president. The two leaders first met in April at the South Summit in Havana, Cuba but yesterday's session was their first full meeting. Chavez told journalists here Wednesday he viewed the meeting as "very, very important" and he had "profound faith and hope that we would find a peaceful way to solve the (problems) with Guyana." "We want to be oriented in the Geneva Agreement...we want a practical solution...this is what we are looking for", he said. Jackman last month said Chavez had "recognised the need to tone down the rhetoric" and reported that the re-elected Venezuela President was looking forward to meeting Mr Jagdeo for the "one on one" talks here. Rohee and Venezuela Foreign Minister Jose Vincent Rangel and the permanent facilitators from the two countries in the Good Officer process are to meet next week at the UN General Assembly in New York and then meet UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Jackman also said last month, "there is a greater urgency for the international process to go ahead because of the situation which has been produced as a result of the Venezuela reaction to the (recent) developments". He said he was to have briefed Annan fully on his talks in Georgetown and in Caracas. The two countries differ over the 1966 Geneva Agreement and Guyana has insisted it was not violating the accord by developing the Essequibo. Jackman said Venezuela claims the Beal project violates the spirit of the Geneva Agreement, arguing such plans could make it difficult to find the satisfactory solution and practical settlement which the Geneva Agreement provides for. He said the objection from Venezuela was rooted in their interpretation of the Geneva Agreement. But Rohee, who said the UN Good Officer was briefed on Guyana's concerns, last month told reporters in Georgetown Article Five of the Geneva Agreement "in no way takes away the right from us to develop the Essequibo" and it does not discourage investors. As the two Presidents talked, Rohee and Rangel with other members of the Guyana and Venezuela delegations met for general discussions in a room nearby at the Hotel Nacional where the 11 leaders Brazil President Fernando Henrique Cardoso invited for the conference are staying. Venezuelan and other journalists covering the meeting thronged the corridors outside the room for the Chavez-Jagdeo talks waiting until they emerged to crowd them for brief interviews. Both had other meetings, with the Guyana leader meeting Cardoso for general discussions. Mr Jagdeo was among those Cardoso later greeted as they arrived to a colourful honour guard welcome at the Itamaraty Palace. The 12 Presidents here are looking at a 10-point action plan to bring their countries closer and at human rights, democracy, drugs and related crimes and information technology. The leaders are to sign a communique at the end of the summit today. Mr Jagdeo said he may also meet new Suriname President Ronald Venetiaan today.  Follow the goings-on in Guyana
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