Energising of Bilateral Commission dominates
By William Walker in Brasilia
The strengthening of a high-level bilateral commission was among matters discussed at a warm and largely symbolic meeting between President Bharrat Jagdeo and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Hotel Nacional in Brazil's capital Brasilia yesterday afternoon. Coming in the backdrop of a stream of harsh rhetoric and sabre rattling by Caracas - particularly from Chavez - the caucus was much anticipated. The two leaders met for approximately 45 minutes and afterwards took some questions from a rugby scrum of reporters. Jagdeo said that the talks were not specifically on the border controversy between the two countries as the meeting was more to give impetus to the upcoming New York meetings to be held under the aegis of the UN Good Officer. But he said Chavez had expressed his concerns about the Beal Aerospace facility and he had assured him in return that "Guyana has no intention of allowing an American base in the Essequibo." Jagdeo said the question of the controversy over oil concessions off the Essequibo coast had not been discussed. The Guyanese President said they had preferred to talk about cooperation through the "dynamising of the high level bilateral commission," and on initiatives to reduce poverty. Jagdeo did say that he had mentioned the trouble Guyanese fishermen were having in the area with pirates. No other meetings were scheduled between the two. Stabroek News has learnt that Venezuela is to have bilateral talks with Suriname at the summit. Relations between Guyana and Suriname have also been tense since the latter's June 3rd armed expulsion of the CGX oil rig from this country's waters. For Guyana, Jagdeo said a meeting with the Surinamese President Ronald Venetiaan was tentatively scheduled for today. He added that the government would wait for a report from the Guyana Defence Force on the incursion by four Surinamese soldiers last weekend in the Corentyne before discussing the matter at the diplomatic level. Jagdeo was accompanied on his trip to the capital on a chartered Brazilian military plane by Foreign Minister Clement Rohee and Ambassador to Venezuela Bayney Karran, who had talks with their counterparts while Jagdeo and Chavez were meeting. Karran said the talks were of a similar general nature. Before and after the meeting the two leaders smiled warmly and shook hands many times and at great length. Jagdeo asked Chavez if he had received a book on cricket he had sent to him but either Chavez did not understand or the book had got lost in the mail! After the talks Jagdeo left to meet Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso prior to the formal opening of the Summit of South American Presidents. This took place at the boldly designed Itamaraty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From Wednesday security in the capital had been steadily tightening with helicopters buzzing overhead and heavily armed police on the wide boulevards. Phalanxes of bodyguards could be seen urgently talking into cellular phones as they surrounded the twelve presidents on their way to and from meetings in the five-star Hotel Nacional. This morning there will be a working session followed by the closing ceremony where each leader will speak for five minutes before the signing of the `Communicado De Brasilia'. This communique will stress the need for further integration in the region, improved democratic processes, the fight against drug traffickers and utilisation of new technologies. Meanwhile, the Brazilian press did briefly note Chavez's comments over the border issue at a press conference on Wednesday following his arrival in the Brazilian capital. Yesterday's Journal do Brazil mentioned Chavez's criticism of the plan by the American company Beal to build a spaceport in Guyana. Correio Brazi-liense newspaper also had an article headlined `Suriname and Guyana two strangers in a nest', which reported that the summit would be an excellent opportunity to discuss political and economic subjects as the two try to benefit from regional integration despite language differences. The article noted Guyana's interest in the proposed road linking Boa Vista directly to Georgetown and said closer economic ties with Brazil will come in good time following the slowdown in the economy, precipitated, the article suggested, by the El Nino phenomenon of 1997.
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