PNCR 'desperate manoeuvrings' statement regrettable - govt
Stabroek News
February 27, 2004
The government says it regrets the allegations of "desperate manoeuvrings" which the PNCR made at a press conference on Wednesday, in relation to Guyana's move to the UN to settle its maritime dispute with Suriname.
A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it was also misleading for the PNCR to suggest that Venezuela had been given the right of veto over projects in the Essequibo. "The government has always made it clear that while it is not averse to exchanges of views in the spirit of cooperation and confidence-building Guyana's sovereignty and territorial integrity are not subjects for discussion", the statement said. Venezuela has laid claim to the Essequibo despite the 1899 arbitral award which settled the boundary between the two countries.
The foreign ministry said there was nothing sinister in the move to have the maritime dispute with Suriname settled by arbitration via the United Nations Law of the Sea Tribunal process. It said the reasons for the referral were fully given in President Bharrat Jagdeo's address to the nation on Wednesday. "Most important was the need for timely action to secure the involvement of and jurisdiction of the tribunal. Failure to act expeditiously could have denied the government and people of Guyana a unique opportunity to have the maritime dispute with Suriname settled legally and peacefully."