No intention to offend Guyana, Carrington believes
Stabroek News
November 10, 2002
CARICOM Secretary General, Dr Edwin Carrington does not believe that the recent showing of a film on Suriname, in which the New River Triangle was included on the map of Suriname, was a political statement or was intended to offend Guyana.
Responding to a question about a call for him to apologise for the showing of the film at the last COHSOD (Council for Human and Social Development) meeting, Dr Carrington said that he could not do so as that would appear as though he were taking sides with Guyana.
In any event, he said that the film was an old one and one could have hardly seen what was being shown on the map. He said he was present just like the Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, and other government officials.
The Secretary General of CARICOM cannot get into a dispute with Guyana or Suriname, he has to be neutral if he is to be of any use to either party, he said.
Carrington expressed the view that he did not think that Suriname was making a political statement, and he did not even think that the gentleman who was showing the film was aware of the New River Triangle.
If Suriname had been making a political statement, he said it would have constituted justified grounds for Guyana to protest, as each country had to defend its interest, but as it was Suriname had been soliciting all CARICOM countries to be part of CARIFESTA (Caribbean Festival of Creative Arts). Carifesta is due to be held in Suriname from August 25 to August 30 next year. Dr Carrington said it would be foolish of Suriname in that context to do something knowingly to offend Guyana.
He said that recently he had detected a warming of relations between the two countries and this was evident in the neighbourly interaction between President Bharrat Jagdeo and Suriname President Ronald Venetiaan. In that environment, he said, he believed that neither party would have done anything to offend the other as there was nothing to be gained but everything to lose.
He said he hoped that the two countries' Ministers of Foreign Affairs would also continue on the path they had recently seemed to have been travelling so that together the two could come together and settle this matter to their mutual benefit.
There were significant riches enough for both countries, said the Secretary General, and he would rather see the two nations sharing riches rather than poverty, which would be a boost to CARICOM.
