Vice President of the United Socialist Party (USPV), Diosdado Cabello yesterday encouraged the militants of the party to work on selecting heads of the municipal and regional council in what they are calling “Guayana Esequiba”. This, he noted during a videoconference that was cited on X.
“Let’s not let 2024 take us by surprise, let’s work on this issue. If anyone already has their candidates, present the proposal to comrade Carmen Meléndez,” he said.
The parliamentarian and close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is of the opinion that Venezuelans must take the lead in the construction of the new state of the coveted “Guayana Esequiba” as indicated by the results of the December 3 referendum.
He also told his listeners that the coming year will bring “many battles” and “great victories”.
“The world has its eyes fixed on Venezuela, today we are (the) avant-garde of popular world movements,” he said.
Cabello’s statement comes in wake of the series of decrees issued by Maduro following the “victorious” referendum. Among them were the immediate activation of debates in the National Assembly for approval of the Organic Law in defence of “Guayana Esequiba” and the designation of Major General Rodríguez Cabello as the sole authority over the region.
So far, the Venezuelan National Assembly has approved the draft organic law as well as the Agreement to reject the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s decision on the Essequibo controversy.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government has noted that the meeting between Maduro and President Irfaan Ali, that is scheduled for this Thursday in St Vincent, aims at fostering a more peaceful and cooperative approach to resolving the ongoing controversy. This is according to Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister, Yván Gil, during a press conference held with journalists there.
Even though he has agreed to the meeting, Ali has made it clear that Guyana’s land boundary is not up for bilateral discussion. The president has also affirmed that the ICJ’s ruling is sacrosanct.
Prior to the meeting invitation and agreement by the two Heads of State, Maduro had stated that the recent plane crash, which claimed the lives of five senior Guyana Defence Force officers, was a “message from beyond” and that whoever messes will Venezuela will “dry up”.
