This assurance came yesterday from President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana, after he and Prime Minister Owen Arthur toured a Guyana trade exposition at Grand Barbados Resort.

Jagdeo told local and Guyanese public and private sector officials that an impression seemed to be developing in Trinidad and Tobago that the two countries' recent signing of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Co-operation Treaty was meant to harm the twin-island republic's economic interests.

"On our way to Abuja, [Nigeria], Prime Minister Arthur and I signed the agreement. It had nothing to do with the existing issue and it does not prejudice the legitimate right of any third party. In fact, this co-operation treaty is grounded in international law - the law of the sea.

"Yesterday [Thursday] I spoke to Prime Minister [Patrick] Manning and I said we are not part of any conspiracy, but Guyana will defend its interests in relation to the Venezuela/Trinidad and Tobago treaty of 1990."

The Guyanese leader reiterated that Barbados and his government were not "ganging up" against another Caricom state, but were merely initiating the processes provided for by international law, and to which they were all parties.

He added that the conflict would be resolved in a non-adversarial way without weakening Caribbean integration. "In fact, if we resolve these issues they might set the basis for other types of regimes to be developed like a multi-lateral regime on fisheries and the exploitation of hydro-carbon resources," he said.

Prime Minister Arthur noted that no matter what issues were presently confronting Barbados and Trinidad, they would "find a way through" them since the spirit of Caribbean integration was alive and well.

Referring also to Guyana's maritime boundary delimitation dispute with Suriname, he said the sooner Barbados and Guyana resolved their individual conflicts before compulsory legally binding arbitration, the faster they could all get ahead with developing the entire Caribbean.

Arthur praised the Guyana trade initiatives and encouraged Barbadians to invest in that country. Describing Guyana as the "future of the economy of the Caribbean", he said that at the time of Barbados' Independence Guyana was a more developed country than Singapore.

He urged Barbadians to show Guyanese the same courtesies and goodwill they received in that country.