[UPDATED] Guyana parliament tells Venezuela: Leave Essequibo alone

GUYANA's National Assembly unanimously passed a motion on Monday which called on Venezuela to desist from any attempt to grab its Essequibo region and supported the government's move to resolve this matter before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The assembly sat in extraordinary session in Georgetown to pass this motion, after consensus was reached between the government and the opposition on its contents.

In opening debate on the motion, Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd told MPs it was TT's first prime minister Dr Eric Williams in 1975 who alerted Caricom to the expansionist desires of Venezuela to acquire territory from its neighbours in the region.

"The Essequibo region is the only territory which Venezuela has had her eyes set on and, that she has not been able to take possession of."

MPs thumped their desks as Todd declared, "She will not be able to take possession of our Essequibo."

Guyana's independence constitution, he continued, provided for all lands which formed the former colony of British Guiana before May 26, 1966, form part of the new independent nation of Guyana.

Todd said, "This territory includes the Essequibo since British Guiana's western boundary with Venezuela had been well established."

He added that international laws states that "agreed or established boundaries are sacrosanct."

Todd lamented that, for decades, Venezuela had continued on a path that was in direct confrontation "with this fundamental principle which has been steadfastly upheld by the ICJ."

He recalled that the Guyana-Venezuela boundary was "established by arbitral award on October 3, 1899."

This arose out of the Treaty of Washington, two years earlier.

Todd said arising out of the 1899, Venezuela got 358,841 square miles with respect to its part of the border, excluding Essequibo.

"That's more than four times the size of Guyana."

He believed that only "pure greed" on the part of Venezuela could be the reason why that nation was using several tactics, including military operations on the Guyana-Venezuela border, to bully Guyana into giving it the Essequibo.

Through the motion, Todd continued, all of Guyana stands resolute that this will not happen.

"We are here this morning as a nation. United to show the world that we are here on the right side of history and on the right side of international law."

He condemned Venezuela for attempting through its actions to disturb a zone of peace which exists in Latin America. Reminding MPs that the matter had been before the ICJ since March 2018, Todd said Venezuela lodged a complaint with the court, saying it had legitimate rights to Guyana's territory."

"This will not stand. We live in a world where laws and rules must be respected by every nation state."

Todd claimed Venezuela had not stood down from its military activity on the border or denied construction of a landing strip in the area.

He said Caricom, the Commonwealth and other international partners were resolutely behind Guyana on the matter.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips said, "Guyana vehemently denounces Venezuela's action."

He made it clear there would be no meetings between Guyana President Dr Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on this issue.

"There must be no Bolivarian peace diplomacy. The matter is before the ICJ. The time for negotiation is over. There is no need for dialogue with Maduro."

Phillips thanked the ICJ for agreeing to hear Guyana's request to seek a protection order against any act of aggression by Venezuela on November 14.

He believed the renewed attempt by Venezuela to acquire Essequibo "stems from Guyana's oil and gas discoveries."

Phillips gave the assurance that Guyana's security forces stood ready to defend its sovereignty.

He called on all nations to continue to stand with Guyana on the matter because it spoke to a fundamental threat to international law.

"This transcends a bilateral dispute."

Opposition MP Khemraj Ramjattan questioned whether a degree of irrationality was filtering into the minds of the Nicolas Maduro government, in pursuing this question to grab Guyana's resource-rich Essequibo region.

He reminded MPs that Venezuela itself continued to grapple with its own economic, humanitarian and political crises.

He agreed with Todd that all international laws were in Guyana's favour on the matter.

"It is very clear that Essequibo belongs to us."

Ramjattan questioned whether the Venezuelan government was trying to use a December 3 referendum on the matter to fool their "peace loving" people, to support its attempt to grabe Guyana's territory.

Deputy Speaker Asha Kissoon said, "This issue cannot go on."

She agreed with Ramjattan about the possible motives behind the referendum.

"We condemn this referendum and we will not be having it."

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Campbell-Sukhai claimed indigenous people along the border had experienced acts of aggression by Venezuelan military forces. She said any colonial claims Venezuela was making on the Essequibo were outweighed by those of the indigenous people there.

Parliamentary Governance Minister Gail Teixeira said the assembly also welcomed the government's approach for obtaining a November 14 hearing before the ICJ to get a protection order from the court to prevent Venezuela from trying to attempt to seize the Essequibo.

She said Guyana should pay attention to the effects that attempts by one country to militarily annex one territory from another country, always has a negative effect on the people in that territory.

Teixeira cited the Russia-Ukrain and Israel-Gaza conflicts as examples.

"These stains don't go away."

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

GUYANA's National Assembly, with a single voice, has told the Venezuelan government to leave the disputed Essequibo border area between the two countries alone.

The assembly made this call during an extraordinary sitting on Monday in Georgetown, to approve a motion supporting Guyana's efforts to have this centuries-old border dispute with Venezuela settled once and for all by the International Court of Justice.

In moving the motion , Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd said the government and opposition are united on the position that Venezuela has no legitimate claim to Essequibo.

Todd added that the motion brought before the assembly shows to the world that on this matter Guyana stands united.

"One people. One nation. One destiny."

In supporting Hilton, opposition MP Khemraj Ramjattan questioned whether a degree of irrationality was filtering into the minds of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro government, in pursuing this aimof grabbing Guyana's resource-rich Essequibo region.

He reminded MPs that Venezuela itself continues to grapple with its own economic, humanitarian and political crises.

He agreed with Todd that all international laws are in Guyana's favour on the issue.

"It is very clear that Essequibo belongs to us."