Venezuela's anti-Beal moves contrary to spirit of G-77
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Venezuela's anti-Beal moves contrary to spirit of G-77
- Rohee
Stabroek News
March 23, 2000
Foreign Minister, Clement Rohee, believes that Venezuela's effort to block the proposed agreement with Beal Aerospace for the establishment of a rocket launching site in the Essequibo region is contrary to the spirit of the Group of 77 and the People's Republic of China and in conflict with South-South cooperation.
And he told a press conference yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he co-hosted with UN Good Officer, Oliver Jackman, that in the face of these efforts Guyana was maintaining its stand that "the Essequibo region is part of our national territory and that Guyana is indivisible."
Rohee's comments were made in response to queries to himself and Jackman about Venezuela's concerns about the agreement to be signed with the American aerospace company.
Jackman, who visited Venezuela before coming to Guyana on Tuesday said that he had been formally requested by the Venezuelan government to raise the issue with the Guyana government.
Rohee, rejecting any interference by Venezuela, also contended, "there is precedent for foreign investment in the Essequibo" and what the government was doing in trying to conclude an agreement with Beal Aerospace was nothing new.
Commenting on Venezuela's efforts to block the agreement, Rohee observed that as members of the G-77 and of the South, both Guyana and Venezuela, as developing countries were on the lookout for investment.
As a result, he said, "if another country in the G-77 was to take concerted action to prevent development in another member country, I think that would be contrary to the spirit of the G-77 as we are fighting to overcome poverty and unemployment. We all want to bring our economies up to scratch.
"We all want to participate in globalisation and trade liberalisation and we can only do so if our economies are up and running."
Commenting on a statement reportedly made on Friday by Venezuelan Head of State, Hugo Chavez, in which he reiterated Venezuela's claim to the Essequibo region and his government's intention to block the deal, Rohee declined to say if the statement was an escalation of the rhetoric.
But he observed that note must be taken of any statement by a Venezuelan Head of State, though he stressed that this must be done dispassionately.
Rohee observed that the reported statement, the text of which he has requested from the Guyana Embassy in Caracas, did not contain anything new.
Jackman said that he was not aware of the statement but that statements made in his presence by the Venezuelan President were no different to others which had been made before he was appointed. Jackman was appointed Good Officer by the UN Secretary General in October.
He said that in his conversations with Venezuelan officials, while they pressed their claim to the Essequibo, they did indicate their desire for "a friendly and peaceful settlement".
He characterised Chavez, based on the brief meetings he had with him during his visit to Caracas as a warm and passionate man, with whose knowledge of his brief (on the border controversy) he was impressed and who is "passionate about the positions he espoused."
