Guyana opens channels for dialogue while Venezuela and Brazil mobilize troops
In South America, tension and dissension alternate on the disputed border between Venezuela and Guyana. In Caracas, the Maduro government announced that its Foreign Minister Yvan Gil had a phone call with his Guyanese counterpart Hugh Todd “to discuss the issue of the territorial dispute” over the Essequibo region.
The discussion took place at the request of Guyana, we read in a note, and ended with the agreement between the parties to "keep communication channels open", which, however, constitutes a step forward.
The long-running dispute over Essequibo, which is administered by Guyana and makes up about two-thirds of the country's territory, has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered oil there in 2015.
Venezuela does not give up
Caracas on Tuesday proposed a bill to create a Venezuelan province in Essequibo and ordered the state oil company to issue licenses to extract crude oil in the region.
Maduro then appeared on TV, where he presented a new official map of Venezuela with Essequibo incorporated, during a Council of State in which he announced a series of measures and upcoming legislation to consolidate Caracas' possession of the territory and its resources. Previously, Maduro had sent a military contingent to Puerto Barima on Venezuela's Atlantic border, near the edges of the claimed area.
From a communication point of view, Maduro now attacks with everything he has at his disposal. Through a special law announced Tuesday, it will create a new province or federal state in the disputed territory. He even appointed a provisional authority: Major General Alexis Rodríguez Cabello, deputy of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), who operate from the mining community of Tumeremo, in the state of Bolívar, just 100 kilometers from the city of San Martín de Turumbang, in the disputed area.
“We want the peaceful rescue of Guayana Esequiba,” Maduro said. “Our Guayana Esequiba was effectively occupied by the British Empire and its heirs who destroyed the area,” he added, referring to agreements made during the presidency of Hugo Chávez, which created PetroCaribe. At the time, Venezuela offered discounted oil to Caricom countries in exchange for diplomatic support for the Bolivarian revolution. However, in this historic dispute over Essequibo, these countries have traditionally supported Guyana.
Maduro has tasked the state oil company PDVSA with drawing up an exploration and exploitation map of Essequibo's resources and has ordered the National Assembly to draft a law prohibiting the demarcation of oil concessions granted by Guyana in the territorial sea. The American company Exxon Mobile has a maritime platform in the area. “We give three months to companies that exploit the country's resources without Venezuelan permission to comply with the law,” the Venezuelan president said. This calls directly into play the USA, where Exxon is based.
Brazil is moving
The Brazilian government, concerned about regional conflicts involving neighboring countries, sent its top foreign policy advisor and former foreign minister, Celso Amorim, to mediate and prevent a potential confrontation.
However, Brasilia has not limited itself to diplomatic initiatives: “The Ministry of Defense is monitoring the situation. Defensive measures have been strengthened in the northern border region, contributing to an increased military presence,” the Brazilian ministry said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
The Lula da Silva administration stressed that “defensive measures have been strengthened” along the northern border in response to the territorial dispute.
Recently, Guyana raised the possibility of establishing “military bases” in Essequibo with the support of the United States. At this point it may even be late.
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The article Guyana opens channels for dialogue as Venezuela and Brazil mobilize troops comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-guyana-apre-canali-di-dialogo-mentre-il-venezuela-e-il-brasile-mobilitano-le-truppe/ on Wed, 06 Dec 2023 20:28:48 +0000.