Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said last night that he was recalling his Ambassador to Guyana Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz for consultation, initiating a comprehensive review of relations with this country and reducing the size of Venezuela’s embassy here.
According to reports, Maduro made this statement in an address to the national legislature in Venezuela last night, where he accused Guyana of promoting “hatred and aggression” against Venezuela.
Contacted last night, Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge said he had not heard the announcement that Diaz was to be recalled, though he knew that Maduro was to have addressed his Parliament. He also said that while a country can express dissatisfaction by recalling its ambassador, the protocol was that formal notification had to be made. When Greenidge spoke to this newspaper around 9.30 pm, he had left his office just about half an hour before, up to then, he said, he had received no formal notification.
Reuters/Jorge Dan Lopez
Maduro’s announcement comes on the heels of pressure that has been applied to Venezuela over its recent escalation of the border controversy with Maduro’s May 26 maritime decree.
Following the decree, Greenidge had said that Guyana would formally ask the United Nations to intervene. In the meantime, Guyana had pressed Caricom to make a firm statement on the issue and attracted support from the Commonwealth. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had also held a meeting with President David Granger, during which he had reportedly had expressed a willingness to mediate the problem.
Venezuela has long claimed a significant chunk of Guyana, the May 26 decree included a large marine area where Exxon Mobil Corp recently announced it had made a significant oil discovery.
Maduro had announced on Saturday that he would inform the National Assembly of his country about what he called Guyana’s “aggression” against Venezuela.
“This Monday I will report with details, with precise information, about all this aggression being launched against the homeland,” Maduro was quoted as saying at a promotion ceremony in Caracas for high-ranking officers of different branches of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, or FANB.
Venezuela was dispossessed in 1835, 1840 and 1899 of the Essequibo territory “for the purpose of occupying access to the Orinoco River, in order to reconquer us for the British Empire… so now we’re supposed to accept provocations by Exxon Mobil and insults from the Guyana government,” he was quoted as saying.
Maduro said last week that there is an “international manoeuvre” being organized by “the right” and by Exxon Mobil to “cause Venezuela problems with the countries on its borders.”
