Commonwealth restates support for Guyana's territorial integrity
Stabroek News
December 6, 2003
Guyana has been reassured of the entire Commonwealth's continued support for the country's territorial integrity.
The reassurance came during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting now in session in Abuja, Nigeria, the Government Information Agency reported yesterday.
President Bharrat Jagdeo made an intervention on the issue before the assembly and was assured by the entire meeting that they stand in support of Guyana's territorial integrity. It is expected that these reassurances will be included in the final communiqué to be issued at the conclusion of the meeting on Monday, GINA said.
Similar backing was given at the 2002 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet-ing in Coolum, Australia. The communiqué issued at the end of that meeting stated that "Heads of Government reaffirmed their solidarity with Guyana in light of the continuing threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity by Venezuela." It further stated "in this context they regretted Guyana's inability to fully exploit all its natural resources in the Essequibo region in accordance with the Geneva Agreement."
In the same communiqué, the Commonwealth Heads of Government commended the United Nations Good Officer process to find a solution to the controversy and urged both countries to continue to avail themselves of this mechanism to resolve their differences in a spirit of good neighbourliness.