Guyana, Suriname border commissions to meet this month
Maritime dispute on agenda
Stabroek News
October 13, 2002
The National Border Commissions of Guyana and Suriname are to meet on October 25-26 in the continuing bid to heal the deep rift that opened up after Paramaribo's navy evicted an oil rig from this country's waters.
The meeting, which was originally to be held in September, is to take place in Paramaribo.
It will among other things consider the report of the sub-committee on best practices on joint exploitation and management of resources in disputed maritime areas.
In January, during a State Visit to Suriname, President Bharrat Jagdeo and his Surinamese counterpart, Ronald Venetiaan, agreed to consider the issue of joint exploitation and management of maritime resources pending the determination of the maritime border between the two countries.
The sub-committee should have met before the end of April to look at best practices on the issue around the world and to submit its report to the Border Commissions which were due to meet around mid-May. For a number of reasons beyond the control of both countries, the sub-committee did not meet until June 25-26 in Georgetown. This meeting continued in early July in Paramaribo.
The National Border Commissions were to consider the sub-committee's report at a meeting that should have been convened at the end of July. This was later deferred to September.
During the CARICOM Summit held here in July, President Venetian told reporters that joint development of the maritime resources in the disputed zone is a complicated issue.
"Let me say this ... the situation in both countries is such that we have to move very carefully with this issue because there is strong opposition in both countries to the idea of even discussing joint exploration, (moreso) joint exploitation, joint development."
President Venetiaan at the press conference agreed that exploitation of any potential energy sources offshore Guyana and Suriname would help to promote the economic and political stability of CARICOM.
However, he contended that in cases where there are border disputes, one would have to see that efforts to achieve joint exploitation do not generate instability.
He said that the strong opposition to the idea in both countries "can lead to political instability in any of the two countries and that would not serve the process of (promoting) economic and political stability in the region."
However, President Venetiaan asserted that he and President Bharrat Jagdeo have pledged to move forward as neighbours to solve the issues arising out of their countries' colonial heritage.
Asked in Paramaribo about opposition in Guyana to joint exploitation and development pending the resolution of the maritime border dispute, President Jagdeo at a press conference declined to name the groups opposing the idea.
President Venetiaan's comments were against the background of the offer by the Trinidad and Tobago government to provide Guyana and a number of other CARICOM states with natural gas under an arrangement that would reduce their energy bill by 30 per cent. Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister told reporters that the offer is being made in an effort to promote political and economic stability as well as spur another wave of industrialisation in the region.
A row erupted in June 2000 between Guyana and its neighbour after Surinamese boats chased away an oil rig that had been contracted by the Canadian company CGX to drill for oil in this country's waters. (Patrick Denny)