Guyana, Venezuela Warn Each Other: This Could Incite Violence

• Guyana President, Irfaan Ali, wants Venezuela to know that his country will not tolerate what he described as the latter's "unlawful and unfounded claims to more than two-thirds" of its territory. He said Venezuela continues to undermine Guyana's territorial integrity, and warned the move has the potential to incite violence and threaten peace in the Caribbean.
• In a statement on Monday, Ali said his government had taken "careful note" of five questions issued by Venezuela's National Electoral Council, which are to be asked in the December 3^rd national referendum.
• Among those questions, he said, is one that "brazenly seeks the approval of the Venezuelan people of the creation of a new Venezuelan State consisting of Guyana’s Essequibo region, which would be incorporated into the national territory of Venezuela, and the granting of Venezuelan citizenship to the population."
• Ali said that this represents "nothing less" than an annexation of Guyana's territory and it is in "blatant violation of the most fundamental rules of the UN Charter, the OAS Charter and general international law.
• "Such a seizure of Guyana’s territory would constitute the international crime of aggression." He added, "The Government of Guyana categorically rejects any attempt to undermine the territorial integrity of the sovereign State of Guyana."
• Ali noted the idea that the Essequibo region should be "created" into a state with Venezuela is abhorrent. "Further, the government rejects the internationally unlawful act to put forward the ‘granting of citizenship and Venezuelan identity cards in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and international law.'" He also reiterated that no government or person has the right in international law to seize, annexe or take the territory of another country.
• In a statement in direct response to Ali, the Venezuelan government remarked that Ali's comments were offensive. It said his statement was "loaded with profound contempt for the Venezuelan people, its Bolivarian history and its right to express itself democratically, on matters of special national importance.
• "Venezuela insists on urging the Guyanese government to desist from its actions, both unilateral and subordinate to transnational capital and to seriously assume direct negotiations that will allow for a practical and mutually acceptable agreement between the parties, to resolve the territorial controversy, as was agreed to with the UK of Great Britain just before the birth of Guyana as an independent nation.", the statement also noted.

(Source: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday)