Border movements on Tuesday Venezuelan craft strayed into Guyana's airspace - shots fired from Ankoko island Stabroek News October 8, 1999 Several shots fired by Venezuelan National Guardsmen from Ankoko Island - half of which they have been illegally occupying since 1968 - and intrusions into Guyana's airspace by helicopters were some of the acts committed on Tuesday which caused the government here to seek assurances from Caracas on the intent of the manoeuvres. These acts, according to sources available to Stabroek News, were preceded by a strengthening of the garrison on Ankoko Island, located in the Cuyuni River opposite the mouth of the Wenamu River. There were also other overflights by camouflaged helicopters at Kaikan; and several landings and take-offs by armed helicopters in the vicinity of Imbotero on the Venezuelan side of the border on Tuesday as well. At Imbotero too, there were reports of a helicopter landing with 30 National Guardsmen and four civilians. While on the ground, the civilians took still photographs and video clips of the Barima River area on Wednesday. Last year, Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets intruded into this country's airspace and the Guyana Government said a satisfactory explanation had not been given to it for the incident. The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has acknowledged receiving reports of unusual activity near the border with Venezuela. It said that the reports have been passed to the political directorate for appropriate action. As such, GDF spokesman, Captain Wycliffe McAllister said yesterday, "any statement about the situation there should come from the political directorate at this time." He said he was "aware that the political directorate is pursuing diplomatic initiatives." The provocative acts by the Venezuelans have come in the wake of statements at the weekend from Caracas that the 1899 Arbitral Award had "illegally stripped our country of Essequibo" and that of Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, that his government had taken some action during the past few months to bring the issue to the negotiating table. However, the Venezuelan Government did say that it would seek a satisfactory settlement to the controversy under the auspices of the United Nations. Foreign Minister, Clement Rohee, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, on Wednesday, had been assured by his Venezuelan counterpart, Jose Vicente Rangel, "that reports earlier received indicating unusual movement of Venezuelan troops and other related activities, pose no threat to Guyana's territorial integrity and national sovereignty." It said too that the government had been further reassured that these activities "are exclusively related to an exercise being conducted to counter the trafficking of drugs in the area." Some observers have pointed out that reports of drugs moving out of Venezuela into Guyana had been sparse, but they noted that it could be that with seemingly large uninhabited expanses of forested areas, the Venezuelans were acknowledging a problem of narcotics being processed in their border areas. Guyana through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated that it would maintain its territorial integrity and sovereignty and that Essequibo was an integral part of Guyana. It said too that the 1899 Arbitral award was valid and final and had settled the issue of the border between the two countries. Venezuela, with Guyana's independence nearing, had renewed its claim to the Essequibo. However, under the 1966 Geneva Agreement it agreed to seek a solution to the controversy under the auspices of the UN. In 1991, Sir Alister McIntyre was appointed UN Good Officer, to assist the two governments in their search for a mutually acceptable solution. A © page from: Guyana: Land of Six Peoples