Venezuela could be informed on Beal proposal as a matter of courtesy - Hoyte
"As far as I am concerned Guyana belongs to us and I don't accept that within our borders the Venezuelans or anybody else has the right to tell us what kind of development we must have... That has always been my position and I am sure the position of my party." So said PNC leader, Desmond Hoyte, when asked recently how he would have dealt with Venezuela's informal objections to the siting of a satellite launch site in the Waini District. But, if the Venezuelans made an issue of it, Hoyte said it could not be shrugged off and should be dealt with diplomatically and by other means. However, he could not say whether diplomatic communication should start before or after the objection, saying that maybe as a matter of courtesy, Venezuela could be informed. "They themselves may have raised it not in relation to the border but the environment," Hoyte told Stabroek News. But despite this position, Hoyte said that the government should proceed cautiously with this investment. He said his concern is the track record of Beal Aerospace Technologies, which is a new company. "I feel government has to be cautious and do some more work finding out who these people are because it could well be that they want to get a concession and then flog it to some other well-established corporation," the PNC leader told Stabroek News. He also noted the issue of Amerindian concerns and said they should be brought on board and their concerns answered. He also stressed the need of knowing the environmental impact of such a project. "What I am saying; the government will have to tread very cautiously and deal with all these various areas of concern before coming to a definitive conclusion. That is life today, you can't escape it," said Hoyte. Beal Aerospace [please note: link provided by LOSP web site] is still awaiting the US State Department's clearance to transfer satellite technology to Guyana. The company wants to launch commercial satellites, after manufacturing and assembling them in St Croix, from a base in the Waini. Negotiations have begun with the government and company officials have already held initial meetings with Amerindians and other interest groups to answer their concerns.
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