MIRAMAR – Statement by Mr. Wesley Kirton, Convenor The Florida conference on current Caribbean issues held on September 10, 2015 in Miramar, Florida:

I have read the Prensa Latina news report on the announced decision of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to suspend the granting of agreement to the posting of a new ambassador of Guyana to the Republic of Venezuela.

The report cities the reason for this suspension as attacks on Venezuela by Guyana’s Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge during his recent visit to the United States. As Convenor of the Conference at which Minister Greenidge delivered the keynote address and led a panel on the Guyana/Venezuela controversy, I can attest that at no time did the Honorable Minister “attack” Venezuela. Further, I accompanied the Minister to all the meetings held in south Florida, including media interviews, and at no time, in my view, did anything said by the Minister constitute an attack on Venezuela.

In fact Minister Greenidge sought to “play down” the view expressed by former Grenada Ambassador to Venezuela, Matthew William, that “Maduro is a desperate man” capable of resorting to the use of force in pursuit of the Venezuelan claim and as a means towards bolstering his faltering approval rating amongst the Venezuelan population. In responding to Ambassador’s William’s contention Minister Greenidge said that diplomacy remains the best mechanism for de-escalating tensions between the two countries and that it was Guyana’s view that a peaceful resolution of the controversy is the only option, best pursued through the judicial settlement process via the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In responding to questions at several fora during his visit Minister Greenidge did posit that the discovery of oil in Guyana’s waters off its Essequibo Coast is perhaps among the reasons for Venezuela’s resolute pursuit of its claims at this time.

President Maduro’s decision to suspend the granting of agreement for a new top envoy from its neighboring Republic based on alleged “attacks” on Venezuela by Foreign Minister Greenidge while on his visit to the United States is more the occasion than the cause for his action. He never intended to grant agreement at this time based on information provided me by usually reliable sources. This notwithstanding there is no doubt that President Maduro must have taken note of the overwhelming success of Guyana, through the presentations of Minister Greenidge, in positively articulating its position that the Arbitral Award of 1899 is legally binding and NOT null and void and to win the support of various key audiences and individuals.

During one of the meetings a participant advised of receiving credible information that President Madura is alleged to have told some of his Latin American colleagues that “President Granger don’t look like us.” This came from a Latin American. President Maduro may want to clarify this especially since this “rumor’ originates in Latin America and could hardly have been the result of poor translation. This reminds me of a statement made by a senior Venezuelan military officer during the Falklands War: “The British are tied up in the Falklands. Now is the time to move on Guyana. We will make easy work of them for after all Guyana is a nation of only a few hundred thousand Hindus, Muslims and Blacks.”

President Maduro must know that it is not only Venezuela that can traverse the world promoting its side of the story regarding the controversy. Guyana enjoys that right too especially since its position is not to revisit and/or flout international law by unilaterally declaring an Arbitral Award null and void. Recently, Venezuela was with our “own regional family” in Jamaica at a meeting at which it reportedly “attacked” Guyana and had some its allies, including Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega “wax poetic” against the Guyana position on the Venezuelan claim. I don’t know that Guyana protested or took a decision to declare the Venezuelan top envoy to Guyana persona non grata.

If President Maduro is really committed to de-escalating tensions and ensuring the maintenance of a secure peace in our hemisphere the least he could do at this point is to allow for the diplomatic engagement of the two countries by sending his ambassador back to Georgetown and granting agreement for the posting of Guyana’s new top envoy to Caracas. By this action he would be clearly demonstrating his expressed commitment to a peaceful resolution of the controversy.

Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister Carl Greenidge has also issued the following statement in response to President Maduro:

“I regret President Maduro’s fondness for broadcast diplomacy which Guyana will not follow. Guyana will not be silent where its rights under law continue to be denied. The path of peace is the path of law, and Guyana will continue to pursue it.”

IMAGE: Wesley Kirton

SOURCE: http://sflcn.com/guyanas-diplomats-respond-to-venezuelas-president-claims/