According to Guyana Foreign Minister, Mr. Rudy Insanally, new impetus has been given to the United Nations Good Officer Process with Venezuela naming Ambassador Luis Herrera Marcano as its facilitator in the dialogue between Guyana and Venezuela in the search for a resolution of the controversy.

Venezuela claims Guyana's Essequibo region despite an 1899 Arbitration Tribunal Award, which clearly demarcated the boundaries of the two countries.

Insanally, at a joint news conference with his Venezuelan counterpart Luis Alfonso Davila Garcia, said Marcana is a "legal luminary" and "a man well known and respected in the international community."

Guyana is about to name its facilitator in the dialogue process, he told the Chronicle.

Insanally said that given the process, in which the facilitators act on behalf of their governments to present ideas to the Good Officer (Mr. Oliver Jackman), the appointment of the facilitators represents progress towards the peaceful settlement of the controversy.

"We hope therefore to be in a position very soon to have a meeting between the facilitators and the Good Officer which would culminate with a meeting as soon as possible with the Secretary General," he told reporters.

Davila noted that the Good Officer process has been dormant for some time and said the political will has now been established to recommence the process.

While he said "there is a greater inclination by the Government of Guyana to progress in the search of an equitable and fair solution to the controversy", this does not mean that Guyana's position has changed.

"Very clearly and simply I can say there has been no change in our fundamental position. But both Venezuela and Guyana are committed to a process...and hope that this process will yield a peaceful resolution of the controversy," Insanally said.

The Guyana Foreign Minister said he and his Venezuelan counterpart have agreed to work on settling differing views that would allow investment in the area under controversy.

"We do not feel any constraint, given our position on this matter. I should tell you very frankly that here have been difficulties in this area. But in the spirit of friendship that continues to characterise the dialogue between us, the two ministers, we have agreed to talk about them, and hopefully to overcome some of these difficulties."

"...this dialogue will allow us to have a meeting of the minds to have solutions to these fundamental problems," he said.

"We are compelled to search for the best solution. There are differences between us. But there is the will by the governments to explore the possibilities to find the best solution," Davila said.

Davila left Guyana yesterday after leading his country's delegation for the 2nd Meeting of the Guyana/Venezuela High Level Bilateral Commission.