Presidential Commission Editorial Stabroek News August 23, 2000 Very recently our former Foreign Minister, Mr Rashleigh Jackson pointed out that the eviction of the oil rig from Guyana's waters should have been reported to the UN Security Council. Mr Jackson had for many years been Guyana's Ambassador to the UN and knows the UN system in all its ramifications. More recently the current Guyanese ambassador to the UN, Mr Rudy Insanally has stated in the columns of this paper that such reporting could still be done. However, there is an even more important matter which should be reported at once to the Security Council. When Venezuela promulgated its new constitution on l5th December last year, that constitution was made to apply to all the lands once held by the Captaincy General modified by subsequent treaties and arbitral awards "not marred by nullity" or to put it another way, the new Venezuelan constitution by implication rejects the 1899 arbitral award and gives constitutional recognition to the claim on the so called Zona Reclamacion which is Guyana's territory. And this is no historical relic. We have it on the authority of President Chavez himself who in a news report [please note: link provided by LOSP web site] in this paper declared that this was not a matter of history but of urgent current concern. This is an aggression via constitutional law and should be drawn to the attention of the Security Council without delay. Venezuela has over the years protested about concessions granted by Guyana. Now, doubtless on the basis of its fundamental constitutional law which has gone unchallenged, Venezuela has been emboldened to issue licences and concessions in Guyana's territory. Government's handling of these matters of territorial integrity seems to be on a stop/go basis, hoping that the problems will go away. Take the announcement of President Jagdeo that he was about to appoint a presidential advisory commission on the boundaries. This was welcomed as a bold and necessary initiative. But since then nothing has happened. No personnel have been named. There is, as in so much else, a deafening silence. One is left with the impression that the President has been constrained, perhaps we should say locked in, by his cabinet colleagues and the party diehards. Yet the commission is urgently needed. It is clear that the Foreign Ministry has, as presently constituted, neither the leadership nor the skill to deal with these matters of territorial integrity. The security of Guyana must not be held hostage to considerations of solidarity among the diehards. The proposed presidential advisory commission is central to the maintenance of Guyana's position. Possibly from lack of understanding the demarcation of the boundary with Suriname, it is being said, will be fast-tracked. This is not possible, the work will take years, three to five years at least, or longer. It will involve massive historical research, the study of the findings of geographers, the consideration of abstruse points of international law and so on. We must not be caught napping. The preparations must begin now by specially recruited experts. A first task of the Commission will be to enquire into the state of the relevant archives and take steps to organise and classify them. It is understood that this was once done at the Foreign Ministry by experts who went to great pains to secure copies of essential documents from foreign archives and libraries. Apparently this collection is now in disarray or missing. The whole operation must be done over. President Jagdeo must pursue immediately his wise initiative to establish a presidential advisory commission on the boundaries. The Guyanese people deserve no less. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today