Guyana ignores Venezuela's claim
Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados made some requests that would affect Venezuela
REYES THEIS | EL UNIVERSAL
Monday September 26, 2011 12:10 PM
Source - El Universal
In a document submitted by Guyana to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) requesting an extension of its continental shelf, Guyana ignored Venezuela's centuries-old claim on the Essequibo territory.
The fourth item of the 16-page document submitted to the Commission reads : "There are no disputes in the region relevant to this Submission of data and information relating to the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles."
Guyana's statement that there are no disputes in the region ignores the contents of the Geneva Agreement signed in 1966, in which the then British Guiana recognizes the dispute over the Essequibo territory and the need to seek a satisfactory solution for the practical settlement of the controversy between Venezuela and the United Kingdom.
Guyana's request to extend its continental shelf by 150 miles was not the only one submitted to the UN Commission that can affect Venezuela's maritime domain in the eastern part of the country. Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados have also made their submissions.
Barbados made its submission in 2008 and the CLCS issued in April 2010 the recommendations about what should be the coordinates of the outer limits of Barbados continental shelf.
Adolfo Salgueiro, an international law expert, argues that Guyana's submission "is an unfriendly move" because that country "has the commitment to resolve the dispute with Venezuela."
Although Venezuela is not a member of the CLCS because it did not sign the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, it can present its arguments.
According to Darío Morandy, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Georgetown, the issue is being assessed by the Department of Borders, Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, which is examining the scope of the Guyanese request.
Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados made some requests that would affect Venezuela
REYES THEIS | EL UNIVERSAL
Monday September 26, 2011 12:10 PM
Source - El Universal
In a document submitted by Guyana to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) requesting an extension of its continental shelf, Guyana ignored Venezuela's centuries-old claim on the Essequibo territory.
The fourth item of the 16-page document submitted to the Commission reads : "There are no disputes in the region relevant to this Submission of data and information relating to the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles."
Guyana's statement that there are no disputes in the region ignores the contents of the Geneva Agreement signed in 1966, in which the then British Guiana recognizes the dispute over the Essequibo territory and the need to seek a satisfactory solution for the practical settlement of the controversy between Venezuela and the United Kingdom.
Guyana's request to extend its continental shelf by 150 miles was not the only one submitted to the UN Commission that can affect Venezuela's maritime domain in the eastern part of the country. Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados have also made their submissions.
Barbados made its submission in 2008 and the CLCS issued in April 2010 the recommendations about what should be the coordinates of the outer limits of Barbados continental shelf.
Adolfo Salgueiro, an international law expert, argues that Guyana's submission "is an unfriendly move" because that country "has the commitment to resolve the dispute with Venezuela."
Although Venezuela is not a member of the CLCS because it did not sign the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, it can present its arguments.
According to Darío Morandy, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Georgetown, the issue is being assessed by the Department of Borders, Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, which is examining the scope of the Guyanese request.