No requests from army to enhance capability -- Dr Luncheon
The army has made no additional demands to improve its capability to deal with last week's border operations by the Venezuelan National Guard, Secretary to the Defence Board, Dr Roger Luncheon, said. Also, he said that the context of all incidents involving an exchange of gunfire where this related to the country's national security had been investigated. The others were often unreported and not documented. Speaking with reporters at his fortnightly briefing session on Friday, Dr Luncheon explained that it was context which would determine investigation, and "in those celebrated instances when they [incidents] have been associated with recognised activities of a national security nature they have been investigated. The other ones are isolated incidents." Referring to those incidents of gunfire not associated with any recognised activity of a national security nature, Dr Luncheon said they were, "infrequently reported and even more infrequently documented." He said that the government maintained an inventory of such reports but that "in many instances they have been proven to be anecdotal, and I must admit there is very little evidence that can be obtained when these incidents are reported." Dealing with the requests from the army Dr Luncheon said that no specific demands had been made by the military. He said that he was not aware of any reference having been made to the fact that there had been delays in the provision of information, or that there had been any communication inadequacy between the outpost at Eteringbang, the police outpost at Imbotero and the special agency at Kaikan. In response to whether, in the light of Venezuela's acts of intimidation and coercion, consideration should not be given to finding an alternative supplier for Guyana's petrol and petrol products, Dr Luncheon noted that Venezuela supplied these products as a result of an engagement between Guyana and Mexico. "The reasons we have the engagement with Venezuela is because we have an engagement with Mexico." As to sourcing supplies from markets other than Venezuela, the Cabinet Secretary said that would depend on market forces. "It is only an assessment of whether the concessionary arrangements that have been brokered out of the Santa Fe agreement as opposed to what the market can offer, and particularly the way in which we approach the market," that would determine that. It is that assessment and other factors of which he said he was unaware at the present time which would determine whether a move to abandon the Santa Fe agreement would be appropriate. And to questions as to whether the government would be mounting a public education programme to heighten awareness about the border controversy, Dr Luncheon said that such a proposal was likely to come from the reports of the engagement Foreign Minister Clement Rohee had had with the parliamentary opposition parties and the public forum on border issues held by the Guyana First group on Monday at Le Meridien Pegasus.
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