Stabroek News
July 7, 2001

Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo and Ronald Venetiaan of Guyana and Suriname have pledged to work for a peaceful solution to the border dispute between the two countries.

A CARICOM release yesterday said that at a joint press conference the two Heads of State held at the just concluded CARICOM Summit in The Bahamas, President Jagdeo expressed the view that "with the many challenges facing both countries, neither can afford to continue directing resources towards the border issue and they must work toward a peaceful solution.

"There has never been any trouble between the Guyanese and Surinamese people," President Jagdeo said, adding that since his Surinamese counterpart assumed the presidency of his country there had been positive signals in the negotiating process.

For his part, President Venetiaan attributed the "favourable position" in which he found himself relative to the border dispute in part to the efforts of his predecessor Dr Jules Wijdenbosch.

During the Wijdenbosch presidency, Suriname asserted its right over Guyana's maritime jurisdiction when on June 3, 2000 two gunboats ejected the oil rig hired by the Canadian company, CGX Energy Inc, from its drilling position in Guyana's waters. Some observers found the statement yesterday by Venetiaan puzzling as the use of force by the Wijdenbosch administration was soundly condemned and his government's tactics during talks over the dispute led to concerns that no good faith was being shown by Paramaribo.

President Venetiaan also told reporters that the atmosphere was different now and that augured well for finding a solution to the problem.

The Surinamese Head of State said that "a significant part of working towards a peaceful solution to the border dispute is that of ensuring that Suriname does not grant permission for drilling in the disputed area." He said that he had refused to grant permission for any drilling for oil in the disputed area, stressing that a peaceful atmosphere must prevail. Observers say this statement would also be troubling to Guyana as this country's thrust during multiple rounds of dialogue was to clinch a formula to permit drilling by Guyana in the area from which Suriname had expelled the CGX rig.

Last year, following the expulsion of the CGX rig and after several rounds of negotiations in Port?of?Spain, Georgetown, Paramaribo, Canouan, St Vincent and Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica the two sides failed to reach agreement that would have allowed its unhindered return to its drilling location in Guyana's territorial waters.

To achieve this, Guyana proposed joint exploitation and management of the marine resources of the disputed area.

Since President Venetiaan assumed office in August last year, there have been no substantive talks, although the two countries in July after the Kingston talks under the chairmanship of Jamaica's Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson, had agreed to appoint teams with the authority to negotiate a settlement to the maritime dispute.

The two heads met during the South American summit in Brazil but it was agreed that the talks would resume after Guyana's elections.