Venezuela's opposition to Beal deal dubbed 'interference'
"Interference in the country's internal affairs," was how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela's opposition to the deal Guyana has entered into for the establishment of a space port in the Essequibo region. "The Government of Guyana wishes to reaffirm that nothing in the Geneva Agreement of 1966 hinders or prohibits the PPP/Civic Administration from implementing its domestic policy in respect of the Essequibo which is an integral part of Guyana's national territory," the ministry said in a three-page statement. The statement came in the face of a Reuters news report out of Venezuela that Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jose Vincente Rangel, has expressed his "firm protest" over the deal Guyana has signed with Beal Aerospace Technologies for a space port in the Waini district. The news item which spoke of Venezuela escalating a diplomatic rift with Guyana over the Beal deal, quoted Rangel as "rejecting this unfriendly act, which hampers a practical and satisfactory solution to the territorial dispute between our two countries." The quote was taken from a letter Rangel sent to Guyana's Foreign Minister, Clement Rohee. Rangel was also reported to have said in the letter that he hoped Guyana would "review its policy of concessions in the disputed area" and that Rohee would agree to a meeting to discuss the issue. Venezuela has renewed its claim to the mineral-rich Essequibo, dubbing the Paris Award which ceded the Essequibo to Guyana 100 years ago as null and void. Contacted yesterday for a reaction to the Reuters report, Rohee said he would issue a statement later yesterday afternoon or today. A statement was issued yesterday deploring Venezuela's continuing "obstructionist policy" towards foreign investments in Guyana. It said the government held the view that locally generated initiatives to encourage foreign direct investments and to facilitate national development in the Essequibo "should not in any way jeopardise the search for a solution to the controversy" under the aegis of the Good Offices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The statement was silent on Rohee's response to Rangel's request for a meeting and subsequent efforts to clarify this issue with the minister were unsuccessful. The statement also noted that Guyana and Venezuela are members of the Group of 77, which was committed to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty, unemployment and social disintegration. It said both governments recognised the important role of foreign direct investment in national development. The statement recalled the agreement by world leaders at the South Summit in Cuba last month to "uphold the principles of sovereignty and the sovereign quality of states, territorial integrity and the non-intervention in the internal affairs of any state." The local statement said the heads of governments including Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Guyana's President, Bharrat Jagdeo, agreed to "refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any statement in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations." The leaders also agreed that their highest priority was to overcome underdevelopment and that all nations had the right to development. The government, in the statement, reiterated its strong desire to maintain and further develop bilateral cooperation with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela within the framework of the High Level Bilateral Commission and in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The government signed a 99-year agreement with Beal Aerospace Technologies two weeks ago to facilitate a US$100 million investment in the Waini. The company will operate a commercial spaceport for which it has received a 99-year waiver on taxes and will be employing during the construction phase of the project some 500 workers. In the long term, it will employ 200 staff. (GITANJALI SINGH)
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