Suriname and Guyana are convinced of the value of the bilateral mechanism for resolving their maritime border dispute, and Guyana will explore all the options available to it for a settlement by peaceful means, says Foreign Minister Rudy Insanally.
In an invited comment to the Stabroek News, Insanally said, however, that his ministry will be reviewing the bilateral process which the two sides have been pursuing to settle their maritime border dispute, and the progress that has been made so far.
He said too that his ministry is in the process of trying to engage the Surinamese government in arranging a meeting of the national border commissions of the two countries.
The last meeting between the two sides was held early last year, and another scheduled for mid-year was rescheduled for a number of reasons including the celebration of the Caribbean Festival of Arts, which Suriname hosted in August.
President Bharrat Jagdeo at a press conference late last year expressed frustration at the pace of the discussions at the level of the border commissions, to pave the way for joint exploration and management of the resources of the disputed maritime area off shore Guyana pending a determination of the maritime boundary.
Insanally at a press conference earlier this year had said that he had intended to raise the issue with Surinamese counterpart Marie Levens during the Summit of Americas in Mexico at which he represented President Jagdeo. Insanally told Stabroek News that he spoke with President Venetiaan generally about the relationship between the two countries, but that there was no opportunity for detailed discussions on any specific aspect of the relationship.
In discussions during the January 2002 state visit to Suriname, President Jagdeo and his host, President Ronald Venetiaan agreed to reconvene the meetings of the national border commissions to explore the best practices around the world and to make a recommendation to them.
The decision to resume the border commissions meetings ended a frustrating period for Guyana which had been seeking agreement on the joint exploration and management of the resources of the disputed maritime area offshore the Corentyne coast which Suriname is claiming as its territory.
Relations between the two countries were at a flashpoint following the June 3, ejection of an oil rig being operated on behalf of the Canadian oil exploration company CGX, from its drilling position in Guyana's territorial waters by Surinamese gunboats.
Meetings in Port-of-Spain, George-town, Paramaribo, Canouan, Montego Bay and Kingston failed to resolve the issue with the then Suriname administration led by Jules Wijdenbosch. The last three meetings were held under the chairmanship of Jamaican Prime Minister P J Patterson whom Caricom had appointed as a facilitator.