Diferendo territorial: presidente de Guyana defiende derecho de su país a explotar petróleo y Maduro advierte “excesiva influencia” de Exxon Mobil
Maduro: Exxon Mobil tiene una influencia decisiva en Guyana
El presidente de la República, Nicolás Maduro encabezó este jueves la inauguración del Campamento Ideológico Venezuela Potencia en el estado Lara.
Manifestó que para que el pueblo venezolano alcance su total autodeterminación debe obtener dos grandes independencias: «la independencia de la burguesía y la independencia de la renta petrolera».
En el acto, el primer mandatario nacional aprobó 115 millones de bolívares para la ampliación de la Escuela Nacional Indio Rangel, ubicada en el estado Aragua para reimpulsar la formación de hombres y mujeres en «la lucha contra la guerra económica».
Por otra parte, rechazó la gestión ejercida por el actual Gobernador del estado Lara, Henri Falcón. Sin embargo, resaltó las recientes declaraciones ofrecidas por el jefe de Estado regional sobre la defensa del Esequibo.
«Henri Falcón ha tenido posturas respetables, sobre todo en la lucha para el rescate del Esequibo. Él fijó una posición que respeto y agradezco. Muy distinto al repudiablo de Miranda (…) La derecha salió a apoyar a la Exxon Mobil. Ellos no solo quieren apoderarse de Guyana sino del Esequibo, que le pertenece a Venezuela y quiere entrarle al Orinoco y para eso necesita destruir la revolución».
Asimismo, añadió que la «Exxon Mobil tiene una influencia decisiva en el Gobierno de Guyana».
«La Exxon Mobil se va metiendo con su lobby. Esta empresa forma parte de un grupo de influencia que por su poder económico, compra decisiones políticas (…) Washington es un gran mercado y se impone quien paga mas. Compran los congresistas, los que gobiernan. EEUU es una competencia de lobbys. Una cosa es Obama y otra cosa es el poder de EEUU», dijo.
Canciller enviará la solicitud a Ban Ki-moon para la activación del mecanismo del Buen Oficiante
La canciller de la República, Delcy Rodríguez, declaró este jueves que enviará una carta al secretario general de la Organización de la Naciones Unidas, Ban Ki-moon, solicitando la activación del mecanismo del Buen Oficiante en función de lograr un acuerdo en relación al diferendo con Guyana sobre el territorio del Esequibo.
Esta solicitud se hará siguiendo las instrucciones del presidente, Nicolás Maduro, ya que el año pasado se dio el fallecimiento del Buen Oficiante en este conflicto. Añadió que además de este mecanismo contemplado en el Acuerdo de Ginebra, está previsto la activación de la Troika de la Celac.
La canciller destacó que “no existe forma alguna de que Guyana pueda desvirtuar esta reclamación histórica de Venezuela desde el punto de vista jurídico”.
Aseguró que “las pretensiones imperiales” para llevar a una confrontación entre países “no está en nuestra agenda”. Y recordó que las luchas de los ejércitos de libertadores nunca tuvo como intención “conquistar o invadir, cuando traspasaron nuestras fronteras fue para liberar”.
Venezuela no regala su petróleo
Sobre las acusaciones de la oposición en relación a que la política del gobierno es la de “regalar el petróleo” la canciller dice que “En 1998, Venezuela le regalaba petróleo a EE UU, 500 mil barriles por día a un dólar.; eso era regalar el petróleo”.
Por el contrario la ministra asegura que se están “abordando formas diferentes de intercambio comercial entre los países”.
Las declaraciones se dieron a conocer mediante la cuenta oficial de la Cancillería de Venezuela en la red social Twitter @vencancilleria.
Venezuelan decree maintains ‘threat of force’ in Guyana’s waters – President Granger says Guyana remains resolute in defending itself against all forms of aggression
PRESIDENT David Granger in his address to the National Assembly yesterday on the Venezuela border issue denounced that country’s description of Guyana’s maritime boundaries as “Integral Maritime Defence Zones” in its recent decree, noting that “there continues to be a threat of force in these areas.”There has been much speculation on the intent of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s most recent decree, but President Granger highlighted its basic tenet.
“While the new decree (No.1859) does not contain the coordinates of the decree No. 1787, it does contain a general description of all defence zones with the description of the Eastern, Central, and Western regions, remaining consistent with previous versions of the new decree.”
While rejecting Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s waters as defence zones, President Granger said the decree “goes on further to state that these defence zones are spaces created to plan and execute integral defence operations.”
AGGRESSION AGAINST GUYANA
“We consider decree 1787 as constituting an act of aggression against Guyana,” President Granger noted. The Head of State recalled his recent trip to Barbados for the 36th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting, and a recent visit to Guyana, where Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma expressed solidarity with Guyana from the 53-nation Commonwealth.
“The matter is to be discussed at the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Meeting in New York in September,” President Granger continued. During the CARICOM Summit in Barbados, the President met with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon who “committed to sending a mission to both Venezuela and Guyana.” The President expressed his willingness to accept that group delegated by the UN Secretary General.
“The decree, of course, violates the word and spirit of the 1966 Geneva Agreement that forbids the claiming of new territory while the agreement remained enforced,” President Granger maintained.
He further explained in the words of Article 5, “no new claim or enlargement of an existing claim to territorial sovereignty in those territories shall be asserted while this agreement is in force, nor shall any claim whatsoever be asserted otherwise than in the mixed commission, while that commission is in being.”
The Guyana-Venezuela issue has been like a sleeping volcano spanning across decades, but Venezuela’s new claims, according to President Granger, goes far beyond the previous claims of Essequibo and its maritime boundaries and now extends to the maritime space of Demerara, and even part of Suriname’s maritime space.
In defence of its claim, the Venezuelan Government has made many attempts over the years to challenge economic activities in the Essequibo Region and waters associated with it. “The Venezuelan Government had no right, either under the Geneva Agreement or international law, to oppose exploratory activities by Exxon Mobil and its subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited in the Stabroek Block off of the coast of Demerara.
CONTRARY TO INT’L LAW
“Guyana has full and undeterred authority to unilaterally explore and exploit the living and non-living resources within its jurisdiction,” President Granger declared, adding, “Any objection is contrary to international law.”
On this note, President Granger recalled the actions of the Venezuelan Government, through that country’s Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez, in February, of writing to the Country Manager of the Exxon Mobil’s subsidiary to object to the dispatching of a rig to proceed with petroleum exploration in accordance with a concession grant from the Guyana Government.
The President said that in face of “acts of aggression” by Venezuela, Guyana continues to utilise international law to strengthen its territorial integrity. “Guyana has never used aggression against any state. Guyana has always embraced the principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes.
He cautioned, however, that “in as much as we are a peace-loving nation, we will not allow our territorial integrity to be threatened or violated” since “Guyana has long recognised that Venezuela’s territorial claim has hindered the development of all five of its Essequibo Regions through lost foreign investment and blocked projects.”
ExxonMobil continues to explore in Guyana’s waters, President Granger noted, under the 1986 Petroleum Exploration and Production Act, the Maritime Boundaries Act under Order No. 19 of 1991, declaring the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Following his July 6 address to Venezuela’s National Assembly, President Maduro issued the contentious decree, which provides no coordinates for patrol by Venezuela’s Navy, even in Guyana’s waters, adding to the Spanish-speaking country’s ongoing claim of 156,000 square kilometres in the Essequibo Region.
DIPLOMATIC OPTIONS
While Vice-President and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge is slated to attend the high-level Commonwealth meeting in September in New York, President Granger gave assurance to the National Assembly that, “Guyana will continue to pursue a wide range of diplomatic options as our first line of defence, [and] Guyana remains resolute in defending itself against all forms of aggression.”
