Guyana rejects Venezuela's revived territorial claim

Guyana rejected an agreement between the Venezuelan government and its main opponents to revive a longstanding territorial claim to the resource-rich Essequibo region.

The Venezuelan agreement, the first partial accord signed by the parties at the end of the latest round of Norwegian-brokered negotiations in Mexico, was widely seen as a way to forge a minimum consensus ahead of talks to address thornier political issues.

The accord "is an overt threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana," the foreign ministry said today.

"Guyana cannot be used as an altar of sacrifice for settlement of Venezuela's internal political differences."

Guyana's Essequibo province – dubbed by Venezuela as Guayana Esequiba - covers the western two thirds of the English-speaking country.

ExxonMobil is developing the deepwater Liza oil field – part of which lies in the disputed territory.

The 120-year-old dispute is "properly before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and will remain there for peaceful resolution," Guyana said.

The Venezuelan accord reiterates Caracas' rejection of the ICJ's declaration of jurisdiction over the issue.

"While Guyana welcomes domestic accord within Venezuela, an agreement defying international law and process is not a basis for mediating harmony," the foreign ministry said.

The ICJ said in December 2020 it would hear Guyana's request for a ratification of the current border with Venezuela. Caracas maintains the ICJ has no jurisdiction in the matter and wants Guyana to engage in bilateral talks instead.

ExxonMobil estimates that its Stabroek block holds recoverable resources of 9bn bl oil equivalent (boe). The US major is producing 120,000 b/d and forecasts reaching 800,000 b/d in 2025, surpassing Venezuela that once produced 3mn b/d and is now only pumping around 500,000 b/d.

While the Essequibo claim is one of the few issues around which Venezuelans agree, consensus is no less evident in Guyana, where the incumbent PPP party and its main rival PNC maintain that Essequibo belongs to Guyana and will not be ceded.

The dispute has sparked past skirmishes. In 2013, Venezuela's navy briefly seized a research vessel working in the Roraima block under contract from US firm Anadarko. And in December 2018, ExxonMobil suspended seismic surveys on a part of its acreage license after a research vessel it contracted was approached by a Venezuelan navy ship.

By Canute James

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