The time for good offices, negotiation or mediation in the territorial controversy with Venezuela has been brought to an end by Caracas’ recent hostile act in claiming Guyana’s maritime space, former Guyana Facilitator to the Good Officer Process, Ralph Ramkarran says.
On May 26th, Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro issued a Decree purporting to annex maritime zones belonging to Guyana. The Decree was gazetted in Venezuela on May 27th. Questions have been raised over the motives behind the decree and observers point out that it comes just after US oil firm ExxonMobil announced what could be the first major oil find in Guyana’s waters. Maps issued by Caracas show the ExxonMobil well site within the zone now being claimed.
Georgetown has said that the Decree of May 26th was a “baseless and shameless” bid to usurp Guyana’s territory and a “flagrant violation” of international law. Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge has said that a definitive solution must be found and signalled that the
