Venezuela has pattern of protesting concessions in Essequibo - Ambassador Karran Stabroek News August 27, 2000 The recent resurgence in border controversies should be seen in the context of Guyana being sandwiched between two neighbours, both having just gone through traumatic national elections. This was the message coming out of a public forum with the Heads of Missions held at the Foreign Service Institute on Friday evening. Ambassador to Venezuela, Bayney Karran did note, however, that "Venezuela in an effort to be consistent has a pattern of protesting any concession in the Essequibo awarded to a foreign enterprise." This goes back to Omai, Barama and recently with Jilin, the Chinese timber company, and Beal. He said Venezuela's concerns over Beal were that the aerospace facility could be converted to military purposes. He also remarked that the Venezuela/Trinidad accord on their maritime boundaries had now affected the boundary demarcation between Guyana and Venezuela. But he said, "there is no doubt in my mind that the recent campaign and the question of resurgence of nationalism has dictated the manner of how Venezuela has gone about its recent spate of protests." Karran recalled that when we were protesting the level of rhetoric, we were actually requested to understand that there was a combustible local process going on. He said the Guyana embassy was not primarily focused on the border controversy but worked at fostering economic and cultural ties. "That was not to say that the embassy did not make it clearly understood that we are not prepared to compromise on our territorial integrity." For his part Ambassador to Suriname, Kharshangee Arjun said the first grumblings about the CGX rig came in early May during a campaign rally by the HBP party. Its leader Kissoon Singh had claimed Guyana was drilling on Suriname territory. This was picked up by the media, Arjun said. Then the government sent a note on May 11 to the Guyana Embassy which was passed on to Georgetown. Guyana responded on May 17, but Arjun noted that the media never reported that Guyana had responded. There were anti-Guyanese slogans being used at campaign rallies, he recalled. Foreign Minister Clement Rohee when asked how Guyana could convince oil companies to take up their concessions, said the government through the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission could only present the facts in a truthful and scientific way, showing the coordinates and how they fell within Guyana's boundaries. But, he said, the final decision must lie with the investors themselves. " We can only go up to a certain point..." Rohee said he had attracted absolutely no hostility on his trip to Venezuela from the press, officials and the public, "even though I went for a walk in Plaza Simon Bolivar." The heads of missions introduced themselves to the public and a comment came from Consul General Brentnol Evans in New York who said he felt it was wrong that young men who had grown up in the United States for most of their lives should be deported for minor offences to a country they barely knew and where they had no relatives. He said there were some 250,000 Guyanese living in the New York area and the consulate was there to serve and protect their interests. Rohee said the question of whether to open a consulate in New Delhi was engaging the ministry's attention. The ministry had also recommended the strengthening of its representation in Asia through the appointment of honorary consuls. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today