- Guyanese Vice President issues warning to Venezuelan leader
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to “ever question” Guyana’s resolve, stating that the country’s people stay united in the face of Caracas’ claims to sovereignty of the mineral and forest-rich county of Essequibo.
“Never question our resolve, Maduro, nor the unity of our people or the international solidarity that we will receive on this matter.” Never, ever doubt that. “Don’t gamble on this,” Jagdeo said during a public meeting in Anna Regina on Sunday.
Jagdeo reminded the gathering that the government, opposition, and people are united and resolute to defend Essequibo, Guyana’s 160,000-square-mile county.
Jagdeo refuted Venezuela’s assertions that Guyana is in the “pockets” of the United States, stating Guyana would take all necessary means to oppose any aggression.
“Let me be clear: we must defend this country at all costs,” he added, adding that the Guyana administration and the US Department of Defence have been in “intense discussion.”
“”We are not a war-mongering nation, but we have to preserve our area and our country,” he added, adding that Guyana could not trust Venezuela’s guarantees, especially given Caracas’ rhetoric.
“We are not a trojan horse to invade other countries but we will have military cooperation, defence cooperation with all of our allies, including the United States of America, that we’d be prepared for any outcome,” he went on to say.
Venezuela plans to hold a referendum on the Essequibo issue on December 3 and has promised to supply identification cards to residents.
However, Jagdeo stated that the referendum is nothing more than Caracas’ attempt to withdraw from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is hearing the boundary issue. Both countries are awaiting the latest International Court of Justice verdict on the referendum issue.
“We don’t want their identification cards.” It’s pointless,” Jagdeo said, referring to Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriquez’s remarks that “people are fleeing your nation…Rodriguez, and Maduro, in case you missed it.
“They don’t want your identification cards.” We are proud to be Guyanese and to live in our own country… “We don’t want your ID cards, and we don’t want you in our country,” Jagdeo added.
Venezuela’s claims on Guyana’s land, as well as Caracas’ attempts to annul the 1899 Arbitral Award, were condemned as “bogus and invalid” by the Vice President.
“We believe that this referendum occurred due to the weakness of their case; Venezuela twice sought to argue that the ICJ lacked jurisdiction to rule on this matter.”
“Two times, the ICJ stated almost unilaterally that they had jurisdiction.” So now they have to deliver their case, but what do you present if you have a weak case? “They have no case to present to the ICJ,” Jagdeo stated.
Venezuela’s rejection of the Arbitral Award is based on a posthumous memorandum purportedly written by Severo Mallet-Provost, a junior member of Venezuela’s legal team at the 1899 arbitration, alleging corruption in the arbitration process, an allegation that has not been proven.
With Venezuela’s general elections approaching, Jagdeo believes the Maduro regime may be using the referendum as a political tactic to gather support.
“I believe the Venezuelan government is about to hold elections, and they are having difficulty mobilising people to vote for the ruling party.” As a result, they are exploiting the referendum to divert attention away from their internal problems. People have escaped Venezuela’s starvation and poverty. “The government there cannot campaign with the same zeal that they have with this referendum,” he remarked.
While emphasising the government’s commitment to maintaining a zone of peace, Jagdeo stated that more defence cooperation with various countries will be sought, ensuring that no effort is spared to defend Guyana’s territorial integrity.
“This is an issue that unites all of our people.” And we will triumph over this. This is just another stumbling block on our path to wealth. And you can be confident that this government is working hard every day to ensure that we minimise these concerns, address these challenges, and continue to fight for the betterment of our country,” he continued.
