https://soundcloud.com/gordon-...-meeting-with-maduro
Maduro offered no substance;
Guyana to push ahead
for Judicial settlement
-Pres. Granger.
At a press conference after the New York meeting,
President Granger said
the Venezuelan President offered no substance
during the discussions
and even accused the lesser developed
and smaller Guyana of being aggressive
towards his country.
While Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
has complained that the UN facilitated
meeting with President David Granger
was “tense and difficult”,
the Guyanese President believes
that progress has been made an
d Guyana will now forge ahead
seeking a judicial settlement to the border controversy.
At a press conference after the New York meeting,
President Granger said
the Venezuelan President offered no substance
during the discussions and
even accused the lesser developed
and smaller Guyana of being aggressive towards his country.
“My impression is that his presentation
was without substance.
He avoided the issue of the 1899 arbitral award
and felt that the territorial problem
arose out of British imperialism
and we made it clear
that although we took over territory
from The Netherlands, in 1648
The Netherlands took over
a certain part of the territory from Spain
and it handed over this territory to Britain in 1814
and that territorial controversy
was adjudicated in 1899″,
Granger said.
President Granger said that throughout the meeting,
the Venezuelan President was trying to claim
that the 1899 award was a nullity,
“so I said where is the evidence?
I don’t think he made
any single substantial point
that could cause worry to the Guyanese side.
We were quite forthright,
so I think we are batting on a good wicket”.
President Granger said the Guyana government
has absolutely no intention
to lobby the Venezuelan opposition
on the issue since that would be
interfering in the internal politics of Venezuela
and Guyana will not go down that road.
Venezuela has parliamentary elections coming up in December
and many political analysts believe that
the resurgence of the claims to Guyana’s territory
is part of Maduro’s plan to rally support to his side
ahead of the upcoming elections in Venezuela.
“Our government does not believe in interfering
in the internal affairs of other states.
And we feel that would be an unpardonable interference.
Although we have our views,
that is not the way to conduct international relations”,
the President said.
President Granger said Guyana wants to live in peace
and has not been and could not be a threat to Venezuela.
He noted that Guyana must be allowed to move ahead
with the development of its resources.
According to Mr. Granger,
“we want cordial relations.
Venezuela has a population that is
forty times the population of Guyana,
Venezuela has armed forces that is
forty times the size of Guyana’s armed forces.
We can’t threaten Venezuela.
Venezuela is four times the size of Guyana,
so we can’t threaten Venezuela.
We want to live in peace and
we want to develop our resources.
And we are telling Venezuela,
you go do the same”.
The President said he expects Venezuela
to now refashion its diplomatic relations with Guyana
following the talks with the UN Secretary General.
The UN Secretary General facilitated
the talks at the United Nations on Sunday
between the two Presidents.
Following the talks with President David Granger,
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
agreed to accept the credentials of
the new Guyana Ambassador to Venezuela and
to send his Ambassador back to Guyana.
Venezuela has also agreed to
accept a United Nations Investigative team
to look into the concerns that Guyana has expressed
about Venezuela’s continued aggression
and illegal claim to Guyana’s territory.
The UN investigative team is expected
to submit a final report to the UN Secretary General
on the completion of its probe.
That report is expected to
recommend a lasting resolution to the controversy.
(Story and photos by Gordon Moseley in New York)
