Venezuela hopes Guyana would take account of Venezuelan concerns on Beal
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Venezuela hopes Guyana would take account of Venezuelan concerns on Beal
- El Nacional
Stabroek News
April 9, 2000
Venezuela has ruled out the possibility of moving to the Inter-American Court of Justice or any other international forum to prevent the proposed establishment of a rocket launch site in the Essequibo by the US-based company, Beal Aerospace.
A newspaper report in El Nacional last month quoted Venezuela's Deputy Foreign Minister, Jorge Valero, as ruling out such an approach. He said that Venezuela was hoping to promote the idea that this was a project which was being set up in an area subject to "reclamation."
Valero, who said that his country was committed to a peaceful resolution of its claim to the Essequibo, was quoted as expressing the hope that "the Guyanese authorities would take account of our concerns."
The report said that Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez had indicated the week before that he would initiate "pertinent steps" with the US government, since Venezuela could not accept the rocket launch site being set up in the Essequibo "because that territory is in reclamation."
Last month, too, during a speech at Lomas de Urdaneta in populous Sucre province, President Chavez was reported as saying in the March 19 edition of El Nacional that he was going to rescue from obscurity Venezuela's historical claim to the Essequibo territory, but would be doing so peacefully.
"We are going to focus on it as it has been a forgotten matter, because it hurt no one. One has to begin to speak about it again so that the little ones may know where Bird Island is, the Guayana Essequibo, the Arauca river... " he was quoted as saying.
The report added that he attributed the obscurity of the 'reclamation' issue to the moral degradation of the political class.
"That is a territory which we need," he was reported as stating, "and we request that it be restored [to us]."
"We are going to arrive at a peaceful agreement," he continued, "but an agreement in the end with Guyana, because Venezuela has historical title to the Essequibo territory... "
