Suriname map gambit
Canada reaffirms recognition of Guyana's boundaries
Stabroek News
March 13, 2003
The Canadian government recognises the internationally recognised borders of Guyana. This was the reaction of Canadian High Commissioner Serge Marcoux in an invited comment to the Stabroek News about the request his mission had recently received from the Surinamese government to recognise a map of Suriname which incorporated Guyana's New River Triangle.
Marcoux is Canada's Non-Resident Ambassador to Suriname.
Last week the Surinamese government requested diplomatic missions and international organisations accredited to that country to use maps of Suriname showing the New River Triangle as Surinamese territory.
An official at the CARICOM Secretariat told Stabroek News that it had received no such request nor had it been brought to the Secretariat's attention. Guyana and Suriname are members of the Caribbean Community.
This newspaper has so far been unable to contact the heads of those missions here who are also responsible for diplomatic missions in Suriname to ascertain whether they had received a similar request from the Suriname government.
Meanwhile in relation to the same issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in the process of communicating with the Suriname government and the other governments and organisations to which Suriname had forwarded its request for recognition of borders to which the New River Triangle had been annexed.
Foreign Minister Rudy Insanally raised the issue yesterday saying a communication to the Suriname government and the other governments and organisations constituted the immediate steps being taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A statement issued by his ministry yesterday called the Surinamese action "ill- advised" and cautioned that it has "serious implications for the commitment which the Presidents of Guyana and Suriname made in January 2002 to enhance cooperation between their two countries."
"The Government of Guyana is particularly concerned that this action could lead to a deterioration in the relations between the two countries and threaten the peace and stability of the region."
The statement reiterated, "The New River Triangle has always been an integral part of Guyana's territory" and "is so recognised by States within the international community including members states of CARICOM.
"In the interest of the maintenance of good neighbourly relations the Government of Guyana would like to urge the Government of the Republic of Suriname to desist from undertaking provocative actions that could undermine efforts at improving the relations between the two countries."
The statement also asserts that the Guyana government "continues to believe that the mechanism of the Joint Border Commissions is the forum for addressing matters relating to the border problems."
Guyana's borders, according to Article 2 of the Constitution, enclose "the areas that immediately before the commencement of this Constitution were comprised in the area of Guyana together with such other areas as may be declared by Act of Parliament to form part of the territory of the State."
In an invited comment on the issue, GAP-WPA parliamentarian Sheila Holder said that the government had to be more pro-active in dealing with the issue. She contended that it had to take steps to instil in Guyanese a sense of nationalism if it were to successfully counter Suriname's unilateral attempt to redraw its boundary with Guyana.
Holder said that Suriname behaved as if it had the upper hand because Guyana had adopted a reactive posture and she was not surprised that Suriname had the audacity to issue the request. She noted that the current political, economic and social state of the country contributed to Suriname's "eye-pass."
Former Chief of Staff Maj Gen (rtd) Joe Singh reiterated that de facto and de jure the New River Triangle was Guyana's territory. He explained that survey teams representing the governments of the United Kingdom, Brazil and Holland agreed the tri-national boundary mark in 1936 and the maps had been signed in Paramaribo around June of the same year. But he said ratification of the boundary was not possible because of the death of George V and the outbreak of World War II.
Other informed sources have told Stabroek News that the government must take action at three levels - bilateral, regional and multilateral - to reiterate that the country's boundaries are internationally recognised, and that maps of Guyana should be circulated to them as a reminder of the country's borders.
At the regional level, they said that the Guyana government must use its diplomatic clout to have CARICOM ban the use of erroneous maps. Last year in a video presentation on CARIFESTA 2003 and in the presence of Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, Suriname displayed a map, which showed the New River Triangle as belonging to Suriname. In January 2002, during his official visit to Suriname, President Bharrat Jagdeo suffered the indignity of viewing a video presentation by Staatsolie, which included a similar map.
At the domestic level, these sources said that the government should enact legislation, which banned ministries, travel agents, and tourism organisations from accepting or using maps issued by Suriname, which incorporated the New River Triangle as Suriname's territory.
They said Guyana must take steps to ensure that no action at the level of organisations such as the International Maritime Organisation was taken which compromised its sovereignty over its borders. Also, they said that Guyana's representatives at forums they share with Suriname and Venezuela must protest when offending maps are displayed.
