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Django

September 14 ,2020

Dear Editor,

I have to admit that my eyebrows could not be raised any higher by the initial brief reporting on Saturday afternoon by the Stabroek News of the planned visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Guyana, that “The two-day trip would be seen as an expression of confidence in the PPP/C government and a signal of deeper cooperation between the two countries.”

My first response was, who wrote this news story? Who would believe that it would really be a priority for the US Government, two months before their own elections, to visit Guyana to congratulate the newly elected government on a successful conclusion of our elections?

I am glad that the Stabroek News Sunday edition followed up with careful, extensive and critical coverage of this important news item, and also drew heavily from the swift and excellent statement issued by the Guyana Human Rights Association, titled ‘Guyana Must Stay Out of Venezuelan Politics.’

A few questions for readers, and all right thinking Guyanese, to ponder:

Why do you think ‘little’ Guyana would be a priority for the US Secretary of State to visit, two months before the US elections? Do you really think this is just about congratulating the Guyana Government on a free and fair election?

This same Secretary of State spoke at the US Republican Convention, recording his address while visiting Jerusalem. According to media reports, “No sitting secretary of state had previously addressed a national political convention in at least 75 years.” What then do we make of this visit to Guyana now, in relation to such partisan politicisation?

Florida is a very important state for the US elections, with a significant proportion of Venezuelans and Cubans hostile to the Castro and Maduro regimes. What might this visit have to do with this fact?

Why did the Government of Guyana, in August, break tradition and support Mr. Mauricio Claver-Carone, the US backed candidate, for the head of the Inter-American Development Bank (he is not from Latin America and the Caribbean, and media reports describe Mr. Claver-Carone as a deeply controversial figure who is deeply opposed to the governments of Cuba and Venezuela.)

Why, just a fortnight after the installation of the new Government of Guyana, did the US thank Guyana for endorsing the statement put out by the Lima Group that recognised Venezuela’s Juan Guaidó, who as the GHRA statement points out supports “the illegal claim on Guyana’s territory”? Has the Government of Guyana ever publicly distanced itself from this statement, and if not, why not?

What does this have to do with ExxonMobil and Payara, about which we are hearing very little? As far as we know, the Payara review is still being headed by Alison Redford, who has little direct experience on the issues to be addressed in relation to the Payara project and whose ethics have moreover been rightly questioned by the Canadian public. And why is our government, which is in the news daily about all of the corruption it is uncovering locally, silent about its continued engagement of the services of someone who was disgraced as the former premier of Alberta? Are there different rules for foreigners?

What is the Government of Guyana’s position on Venezuela – we are certainly entitled to know this in advance of the Secretary of State’s visit and should demand same

What does all this mean for regional integration in the Caribbean, which has had a sterling record when it comes to foreign policy co-ordination? Consider the fact that the US Secretary of State visited Jamaica in January 2020, joined by a few other Caribbean Prime Ministers, a bilateral visit that was criticized by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. What do Caribbean leaders make of this visit, to the country where the CARICOM Secretariat is headquartered? We should demand their response.

Guyana is a sovereign state. Is this what sovereignty looks like?

Guyanese. We remain divided at our peril. What is good for lil boys is dead fuh crapaud. They say when the elephants play, the grass gets trampled. But these local big elephants are pawns, and if they do not come together on this most crucial issue, they will make Guyanese the trampled grass in a much bigger geopolitical game.

Let us remember the Caribbean women and others who have long been calling for the Latin American and Caribbean region to be declared a non-militarized zone of peace.

I urge Stabroek News and all newspapers to carry the GHRA statement in full.

Yours faithfully,

Alissa Trotz

Replies sorted oldest to newest

DjangoAdmin

Issues on which Guyana cannot support US

September 14 ,2020

Source

Dear Editor,

A few things are on my mind as I write this letter but I will limit it to two issues. First, the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Every Guyanese should welcome this visit. Although some of us may not be supporters of the current US Administration, we must remind ourselves that the Guyanese and American people enjoy longstanding, very good relations based on shared values and that Pompeo is not coming in a personal capacity, but as a representative of the government elected by the American people.

What should concern us is the agenda for the meeting. I see some individuals and organizations expressing concern about what Guyana might be asked to do vis a vis Venezuela, which still claims five eights of Guyana as well as significant areas of our maritime space while still occupying all of Ankoko, half of which belongs to Guyana. I would not support Guyana being used as a launching pad for military action against Venezuela. I would however support Guyana’s spectrum being used to broadcast to the Venezuelan people, on certain conditions. One of these conditions would be that these broadcasts include content that urges the Venezuelan people to reject their Government’s claims, now and in the future, to Guyana’s landmass and maritime space and to share historical information about the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award in formats that the Venezuelan man in the street could understand.

Another condition would be the signing of an agreement that the United States would militarily support Guyana now, and in the future, should Venezuela ever attempt to invade Guyana.

I am also reliably informed that the US may seek Guyana’s support for its (the US’) current position on the International Criminal Court (ICC) of which the US is not a member. Guyana must politely indicate that such support would not be forthcoming. Guyana must commit to strengthening relations with the US with the clear indication that there will be certain issues on which it cannot support the US…those issues currently are the US position on the ICC, on Climate Change, on Cuba, on Palestine. As far as I am aware, Guyana maintains diplomatic relations with Israel while maintaining its position that Palestinians are entitled to an independent homeland.

The next issue on my mind is the gruesome murders of the Henry cousins and Haresh Singh. There needs to be an immediate Commission of Inquiry (COI) into these murders as well as the senseless violence which followed. International assistance with the police investigations into the murders must be swift and must include international forensic experts. These should be put in place this week. I urge persons and organizations to desist from so confidently expressing knowledge of how and why these murders took place, and await the final reports of investigations and a COI.

Yours faithfully,

Wesley Kirton

9/14/206:14 AM

DjangoAdmin

No agenda yet for Pompeo visit – Todd

-advance team arrives

September 14 ,2020

The plane that brought the advance party

The plane that brought the advance party

With an agenda not yet fixed, a United States government team arrived yesterday in Guyana and will today begin preparations for Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s visit later this week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd said.

“A team will be here [meeting with various officials] tomorrow; a preparation team. When that prepping team comes, we will have a more formal pronouncement on the details and so forth,” Todd told Stabroek News yesterday when contacted.

The Foreign Affairs Minister explained that there is much to be “mapped out” ahead of Pompeo’s visit as it is the first time such a high ranking US official has made a State Visit here and “with such a visit there has to be lots of security planning and an overall agenda set which requires a lot of work”.

“This is also not like a regular regional head of state visit that we are accustomed to. A lot of different preparations will have to go into this,” he added.

Hugh Todd

Todd said that he hopes by the end of today there will be an official announcement.

A US military passenger plane arrived in the country yesterday around 5:15 pm with the advance party, Head of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, retired Colonel Egbert Field confirmed.

Pompeo is expected to be in Guyana from Thursday, September 17 to Friday, September 18 and this newspaper understands that the Irfaan Ali government has already set up its own delegation for planned meetings. Those meetings are expected from Thursday evening.

Already, the Ali administration has been urged to make its position known on non-negotiable elements with respect to Venezuela.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira has described the scheduled visit as “important and significant.”

“Especially in light of what has happened over the five months and the US government’s support to Guyana during that time this visit is important,” the minister stressed while explaining that she was unaware of whether it was a trip to the Caribbean and Latin America region or to Guyana alone.

The last time Pompeo visited the Caribbean region – in January – he ran afoul of then Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Mia Mottley for failing to engage with all of CARICOM.

“As Chairman of CARICOM, it is impossible for me to agree that my Foreign Minister should attend a meeting to which members of CARICOM are not invited,” Mottley said at the time while suggesting that it would be an attempt at divide and rule among CARICOM countries “if some are invited and not all”.

Touring

Over the last month, Pompeo has been touring the world in what the Associated Press has described as an attempt to burnish the foreign policy credentials of President Donald Trump ahead of November’s presidential election.

Pompeo was most recently in Qatar, where the negotiating teams of the Taliban and the Afghan government have begun hammering out a road map for a post-war Afghanistan. These negotiations follow a peace deal the United States and the Taliban signed in February in Qatar’s capital of Doha.

On Saturday he was in Cyprus where he met with that country’s President Nicos Anastasiades. Then, he signed a MOU with Cyprus “to create a new training center to be funded by the United States” and built in that country. “It will provide expertise for the rest of the region on border security and nonproliferation. It will be known as the Cyprus Center for Land, Open-seas, and Port Security, or CYCLOPS,” he had said.

And Pompeo said on Twitter that “The Republic of Cyprus is a key partner in the Eastern Mediterranean and we are committed to deepening our bilateral relationship.”

In this region, the US government has been trying to drum up support against the Venezuelan government led by Nicolas Maduro.

Ahead of planned parliamentary elections in that country, Pompeo ann-ounced sanctions against four individuals he claimed were conspiring against free and fair elections. These include Indira Alfonso and Jose Gutierrez, who were appointed earlier this year by the pro-government Supreme Court to oversee the national electoral council, which has called elections for this December.

Pompeo had also been very vocal during the five-month long delay in the finalisation of Guyana’s general and regional elections process. His voice was one of the loudest calling for the APNU+AFC coalition to concede and allow for Ali to be sworn in as president.

Ali was sworn in on August 2 and two weeks after the United States’ Assistant Secretary of State Michael Kozak publicly thanked this country for supporting a Lima Group statement which, among other things, reiterated a firm commitment to Venezuela’s Juan Guaidó, who was referred to as interim president, and rejected “the illegitimate regime’s announcement it would hold parliamentary elections without the minimum guarantees and without the participation of all political forces.”

“Great to see Guyana adds its voice for the call to restore democracy in Venezuela. The US encourages all democratic countries to commit to helping the Venezuelan people achieve a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future,” Kozak had tweeted.

Guyana, however, is not listed as one of the countries which signed the joint statement that was issued and no member of the Guyana government has acknowledged its contents.

This action has been seen by some as an attempt by the US government to steer Guyana’s foreign policy position on Venezuela.

It is its policy on Venezuela that the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) on Saturday urged government “to make public, well in advance of the visit, what are the non-negotiable elements with respect to Venezuela” and “avoid any recklessness devised to interfere with electoral matters.”

Reminding that Guyana, in the context of the border controversy with Venezuela, has studiously avoided making any statement or taking any position on the domestic political situation in Venezuela, the GHRA stressed that “any attempt to entangle Guyana in other political initiatives which undermine Guyana’s position on the border (controversy) must not be entertained under any circumstances.

“Aligning Guyana with those seeking regime change not only threatens Guyana’s legal negotiations over the border, but it would also be politically absurd, since the current US candidate to replace the incumbent President of Venezuela is among the leaders of those supporting the illegal claim on Guyana’s territory,” it said, while adding that Guyana has also continued to resist efforts in recent years to be included in the many multi-national initiatives aimed at regime change in Venezuela.

All-party unity on the Venezuelan issue has been a feature of Guyanese politics over many administrations, the GHRA reminded.

“This tradition survived recent inter-party tensions with the new administration retaining the services of several senior members of the previous administration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for negotiation on the border issue… the inclusion of Guyana’s name in the State Department list of countries supposedly calling for democratic change [therefore] poses serious problems,” it noted.

9/14/206:41 AM

NehruBig Mouth Member

Guyana back to civilization. The US refused to visit when DONKEYS were in Govt!!

9/14/208:49 AM

Ramakant-PSenior Member

@Nehru posted:
Guyana back to civilization. The US refused to visit when DONKEYS were in Govt!!

This visit bt a US senator and a Secretary of State is great news for Guyana. The news report coming out of Florida is that Donald Trump wants to set up a spy network close to Venezuela. In return, the US will offer Guyana lots of incentives. It has nothing to do with congratulating the Guyana Government on winning the 20209 March 02 Election. The US will also make Guyana safe from Hooligans and the BLM movement.

Thank Gog The PPP won.

9/14/209:54 AM

TolaSenior Member

@Nehru posted:
Guyana back to civilization. The US refused to visit when DONKEYS were in Govt!!

The so called donkeys will not allow the Americans to use Guyana for its oil and their own purpose for Venezuela. Resisting radio licence, that the PPP will freely give to Americans.

Only dummer than dummies will allow a super power to use their developing country for their own purpose.

9/14/2010:47 AM

Former Member

America was praised when they advised Surujballi to deny a PPP recount. Now because PNC is out of power, al kinds of hogwash are peddled. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

9/14/2011:28 AM

ViperNew Member

Mike Pompeo is one of U.S. highest-ranking official to visit Guyana in modern time. His visit will give Guyana the boost and confidence it need in these troubled times. These armchair politicians want to downplay the secretary's visit. We must be optimistic to welcome the world to Guyana.

9/14/2011:34 AM

Former Member

@Viper posted:
Mike Pompeo is one of U.S. highest-ranking official to visit Guyana in modern time. His visit will give Guyana the boost and confidence it need in these troubled times. These armchair politicians want to downplay the secretary's visit. We must be optimistic to welcome the world to Guyana.

Above all, we must welcome the return of democracy and never allow evil forces to hijack it again.

9/14/2011:41 AM

TolaSenior Member

America or any other country should not be praised for interfering in another country's electoral process. Only Trump encourages a country like Russia to interfere with their elections and he might do it again with falling support.

9/14/2011:44 AM

Former Member

@Tola posted:
America or any other country should not be praised for interfering in another country's electoral process. Only Trump encourages a country like Russia to interfere with their elections and he might do it again with falling support.

America did not interfere with Guyana's 2020 election. They just wanted, like the rest of the world, to see a fair outcome of the recount. The SOPs and SORs verified the real results. We have to now find all the graves of the dead people, bring them back to life, and let them testify at the election petition.

9/14/2012:02 PM

alena06Senior Member

He he, Ms Trotz was silent about Regional Integration when PNC was kicking Caribbean folks out to get a chance to rig the elections. PNC folks mad now that Pompeo is working with a democratically elected Government.

9/14/2012:07 PM

Ramakant-PSenior Member

@Tola posted:
The so called donkeys will not allow the Americans to use Guyana for its oil and their own purpose for Venezuela. Resisting radio licence, that the PPP will freely give to Americans.
Only dummer than dummies will allow a super power to use their developing country for their own purpose.

It speaks!

9/14/2012:10 PM

Bibi HaniffaGNI Queen

Ms. Trotz lives neither in Guyana nor the US. The advancement of relations between these two countries is commendable. After all, there are thousands of Guyanese living in the US who are supporters of both countries. I applaud Mr. Pompeo for making Guyana a priority in his foreign strategy plan. This partnership will be fruitful from all perspectives.

9/14/203:26 PM

kpHonorary Member

Mr Pompeo will bring gifts to the people of Guyana. He will offer security, training and aid to rebuild the infrastructure. This is a goodwill visit to strengthen ties between the US and the oil rich nation in South America, this will also send a message to Venezuela, have a Democratic government and will be friends.

The PNC will have to watch and learn, how to govern. Them couldn't run a plantain chip stall.

GOOD TING PPP WON!!!

9/14/203:52 PM

Former Member

@kp posted:
The PNC will have to watch and learn, how to govern. Them couldn't run a plantain chip stall.
GOOD TING PPP WON!!!

PNC ah larn fuh watch, read and write ...

Samantha Conrad [@SamConrad55) | Twitter

9/14/204:17 PM

TolaSenior Member

@Ramakant-P posted:
It speaks!

Like you lost your special intelligence to make full sentences.

Chupidness na got cure.

9/14/204:35 PM

Ramakant-PSenior Member

@Tola posted:
Like you lost your special intelligence to make full sentences.
Chupidness na got cure.

You are boring. Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth, batty boy.

9/14/204:49 PM

TolaSenior Member

@Former Member posted:
America did not interfere with Guyana's 2020 election. They just wanted, like the rest of the world, to see a fair outcome of the recount. The SOPs and SORs verified the real results. We have to now find all the graves of the dead people, bring them back to life, and let them testify at the election petition.

With their track record with glut and greed, do you think Americans do all these 'nice things' for other countries, due to the kindness of their heart ? They are the most selfish, arrogant and disliked around the world. In our area Americans are given special courtesy passage to Alaska, but they abuse the privilege by remaining as tourists and infect Canadians with the virus.

9/14/205:03 PM

TolaSenior Member

@Ramakant-P posted:
You are boring. Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth, batty boy.

Rama, why is it when most in the PPP run out of proper words to use, they dive into the sewer for a description? Do you all get trained by de Barrat?

9/14/205:10 PM

TotaramSenior Member

@Tola posted:
Rama, why is it when most in the PPP run out of proper words to use, they dive into the sewer for a description? Do you all get trained by de Barrat?

He is prick . He is chupid beyond description.

9/14/205:19 PM

TolaSenior Member

@Totaram posted:
He is prick . He is chupid beyond description.

These guys display exactly how Jagdeo, Mustapha, Jaferally and some others in the PPP treat the people who voted for them. It is why ordinary people lose respect for them, when they get rich, but voters living conditions don't change.

9/14/205:42 PM

Ramakant-PSenior Member

@Tola posted:
Like you lost your special intelligence to make full sentences.
Chupidness na got cure.

It speaks again.

9/15/208:26 AM

Bibi HaniffaGNI Queen

@Tola posted:
These guys display exactly how Jagdeo, Mustapha, Jaferally and some others in the PPP treat the people who voted for them. It is why ordinary people lose respect for them, when they get rich, but voters living conditions don't change.

When did you vote for Mustapha and Jaferally?

9/15/203:36 PM

kpHonorary Member

@Bibi Haniffa posted:
When did you vote for Mustapha and Jaferally?

He is all over the place, sometimes he claimed he is in Guyana then the next day in the US and the afternoon in Canada or is it China. He is over age, he can't vote.

9/15/203:57 PM

Ramakant-PSenior Member

@kp posted:
He is all over the place, sometimes he claimed he is in Guyana then the next day in the US and the afternoon in Canada or is it China. He is over age, he can't vote.

Tola spreading rumours again.

9/15/205:02 PM

DjangoAdmin

9/15/205:34 PM

seignetSenior Member

Pompeo coming to talk about oil. Guyana has a reputation for nationalizing Foreign Assets. Any one would be worried about President Jagdeo. President Putin has a reputation of doing terrible things to Russian Businessmen. Unfortunately, Guyana is not Russia and oil is the only thing we have that has lots of money on it.

9/15/206:37 PM

kpHonorary Member

@seignet posted:
Pompeo coming to talk about oil. Guyana has a reputation for nationalizing Foreign Assets. Any one would be worried about President Jagdeo. President Putin has a reputation of doing terrible things to Russian Businessmen. Unfortunately, Guyana is not Russia and oil is the only thing we have that has lots of money on it.

Oil is trading very low. As a Guyanese you should know that Gold is over $1900 US per ounce, we also have bauxite, rice and sugar but Guyana is situated next to Venezuela and that is more important than anything.

USA has the largest OIL reserve in the world, they drill and cap for later.

President Ali is doing a great job, Guyana has a lot to gain with Pompeo's visit, look and see.

9/15/207:51 PM

TolaSenior Member

@Ramakant-P posted:
Tola spreading rumours again.

Alyu done talk people name behind dem back like old women ? Wait til you husband come home and drink dem daru. Its licks like peas.

9/15/209:00 PM

seignetSenior Member

@kp posted:
Oil is trading very low. As a Guyanese you should know that Gold is over $1900 US per ounce, we also have bauxite, rice and sugar but Guyana is situated next to Venezuela and that is more important than anything.
USA has the largest OIL reserve in the world, they drill and cap for later.
President Ali is doing a great job, Guyana has a lot to gain with Pompeo's visit, look and see.

Oil has potentials regardless of its up and down prices. With Covid expected to be for the next 100 years as it cousin the Spanish Flu, American Foreign Policies taking the shape of Woodrow Wilson's era in Latin America.

The world is on a repaeting cycle.

9/16/208:19 AM

Ramakant-PSenior Member

@Tola posted:
Alyu done talk people name behind dem back like old women ? Wait til you husband come home and drink dem daru. Its licks like peas.

You are so vain.

9/16/208:43 AM

Ramakant-PSenior Member

The questions may be serious but the answers are so simple. Pompeo will be here to preserve democracy and prevent the PNC and the BLM movement from trying to rig elections ever again.

9/16/208:46 AM

seignetSenior Member

Pompeo is in Guyana bcz America always had a problem with Guyanese politic. They meddled and leff us to kill each other. Now, it is different, we have oil, they expect large purchases from American business. And no instability.

The PPP is not like dem ME boys, they rather tief first. It doesn't matter how much they thief, it is never enough.

9/16/2010:04 AM

seignetSenior Member

9/16/2010:23 AM

AmralSenior Member

Just for my information, the US invite themselves to visit Guyana right? Well when wan man invite heself to come to yuh house, he rass gat he own agenda. Just sit back and watch later.

9/17/209:57 AM

Ramakant-PSenior Member

@seignet posted:
Pompeo is in Guyana bcz America always had a problem with Guyanese politic. They meddled and leff us to kill each other. Now, it is different, we have oil, they expect large purchases from American business. And no instability.
The PPP is not like dem ME boys, they rather tief first. It doesn't matter how much they thief, it is never enough.

It's all about the Election in November and the humiliation of Venezuela.

9/17/209:59 AM

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