This was indicated by Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon at his weekly post-Cabinet briefing yesterday.

He said this was the view of Cabinet, which considered the various factors in the dispute between Guyana and Suriname at a meeting Monday.

He said too, that Cabinet felt that efforts must now be made to reduce the fallout from recent actions taken by the Surinamese and to proceed to have a constructive approach to the border difficulties with Guyana.

Suriname, Guyana's neighbour to the east, recently circulated a note to diplomatic missions there, advising that published Suriname maps should include the New River Triangle - an area in the Upper Corentyne region of Guyana - as part of its territory.

Luncheon noted that Foreign Minister, Dr. Rudy Insanally had briefed Cabinet when it met Monday on the most recent developments in the relationship between Guyana and Suriname, amid the ongoing dispute.

He said Insanally highlighted "the reactions of the Guyanese administration to the Surinamese provocation" and indicated that the Guyana position was publicised fully.

"Simply put, the Guyana administration utterly rejected that attempt by Suriname to engage in that form of territorial aggression," Luncheon said.

In this regard, he reiterated that the New River Triangle is, and has always been, part of Guyana.

Luncheon said Insanally also informed Cabinet about the contents of the protest note his ministry lodged with the Surinamese authorities, a response to which has not been made available or provided so far.

Insanally last week declared that Guyana remains committed to ensuring that every effort is made to maintain normal and friendly relations with Suriname.

But he said while this country opens its arms in friendship, it would not yield on the question of its sovereignty or its territorial integrity.

Insanally also made it clear that Guyana is taking a very firm stance on the New River Triangle issue and is prepared to take whatever action is necessary to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Guyana Foreign Minister, however, reiterated that the New River Triangle "is and has always been an integral part of Guyana's territory" and pointed out that this is so recognised by states within the international community, including member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

"Let me first say very clearly that Suriname is a very good neighbour and more than that, Suriname is a member of the CARICOM family of nations of countries and we are committed to turning every stone to ensure that our relations with Suriname are not only normal but that they are beneficial to both our countries," Insanally had told reporters.

He also pointed out that both are developing countries in bad need of development and as such, both ought to work together to cooperate for common benefits.

"In that context, it is unfortunate, I think, that at this time, Suriname has seen it fit to publicise its claim to the New River Triangle," the minister said.

Insanally noted that Guyana has already communicated with "all the countries and the international organisations to which Suriname may have sent that (advisory) note".

"We really have to be very firm in our stance, because while we open our arms in friendship with Suriname, we cannot yield on the question of the sovereignty of our country and the territorial integrity of our country," he declared.

He expressed optimism that Suriname would respond to Guyana's request to retract the note and that it will desist from doing such things again.

Insanally, however, indicated that "the window of dialogue remains open" and said the Joint Border Commission has already met on the issue.

"We hope that the climate in both countries would remain very favourable to a dialogue, because we want to have a dialogue with Suriname and to have - any issue, all of the issues - settled very amicably in the interest of the CARICOM family..."

"Guyana and the ministry would have a lot of responsibility to at least protect our interests in these matters...so we will have to review the situation as it develops," he added.