Expert: Essequibo talks buy time, but little more

AN expert told Newsday on Sunday that peace talks between Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and Guyana President Dr Irfaan Ali over the Essequibo region due on Thursday in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) will buy time in the dispute but might prove unable to to resolve it, in place of the International Court of Justice at The Hague where it is being heard.

Newsday spoke on Sunday to Dr Anthony Gonzalez, retired head of the Institute of International Relations (IIR), UWI, St Augustine.

On Saturday night, SVG Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves at a briefing in his country read out his letter to titled "Dear Irfaan and Nicolas" and copied to "our dear brother Lula," in reference to Brazil President Lula da Silva who was invited to chair the talks being held under the auspices of Caricom and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) chaired by SVG.

Gonsalves said experience had taught humanity that it was mature, wise and preferable for leaders of nations in conflict to talk to each other calmly, respectfully and with patience to avoid an escalation in threats or use of force. Admitting that resolution of old controversies was never easy, he asserted, "But a strenuous life pursued in peace is to be preferred to one of ignoble ease in perpetual conflict or violent behaviour." He said Guyana's Parliament has insisted on resolution by the ICJ but a Venezuelan referendum had rejected the UN court.

"Clearly each of you has to summon the proverbial wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and the foresight of all the ancient prophets to engender good neighbourliness in peace, justice, security and prosperity for all concerned." Answering reporters' questions, Gonsalves said, "This is a complicated question, but it is not beyond the leaders to help to save the region from intense conflict which will bring about lots of pain and suffering, and will set back this region more than a generation."

Gonzalez, commenting on Gonsalves, told Newsday that talks could play for time but he did not see how anything substantive could be discussed.

"It is interesting to see if Lula is coming, as mediator." He wondered if Lula might wish to establish his own channels rather than visit SVG.

Gonzalez said Guyana would not change its position of wishing the ICJ to esolve the matter, saying that as a smaller party Guyana would lose in any bilateral talks over the Essequibo.

Newsday asked if the SVG talks might be seen as an appeasement to Venezuelan threatening behaviour.

"Well it all depends on what's decided. I'm not sure that meeting is going to solve this problem.

"I think that meeting is more a less a way of kind of postponing the decisions or trying to find a way of kicking the can down the road. I'm not sure it's going to solve very much."

He was not sure the meeting was rewarding Venezuela, although that country could argue it had been able to get Guyana to bilateral talks.

Gonzales said the movement of Brazilian troops to its border and the presence of US military was presumably based on each country's intelligence reports on the area and he suggested the current situation must still be taken very seriously. "We are not out of the woods yet."