Guyana: Venezuela's position on Guyana is "incongruous"

The submission presented by the Guyanese government to extend the Caribbean country's continental shelf by 150 nautical miles was discussed last week by the Guyanese Parliament
Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett referred to the objections that Venezuela has filed with Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the United Nations, related to Guyana's submission to extend its continental shelf.
"In September 2011, and indeed more recently, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, declared its incongruous position on the action taken by Guyana," the top diplomat said.  
She explained that Guyana's actions pursuant to submission were in keeping with the provisions of international law. "Guyana will resolutely and vigorously defend its submission" and Guyana's "rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."
Unlike Venezuela, where diplomacy does not seek a national consensus and decisions are unilaterally made, Rodrigues-Birkett highlighted the support provided by opposition parties to the request made to the United Nations' Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf (CLCS).
"National interest must always transcend partisan politics, and this is a great example," she said.
The Guyanese minister welcomed the agreements signed with Venezuela for the export of Guyanese rice. She said that Guyana and Venezuela signed a fourth rice contract amounting to USD 54.3 million in 2011. Under this deal, Guyana will export 70,000 tons of rice to its neighbor country.  
Rodrigues-Birkett admitted that differences with Venezuela are "important to Guyana and its foreign policy." She added, however, that those differences must not be allowed to preclude cooperation for mutual benefit, "once such cooperation does not compromise Guyana's legal rights."

http://www.eluniversal.com/nac...uyana-is-incongruous