GUYANA and the Caribbean were waiting on the results of a referendum held in Venezuela on Sunday, to determine whether the Essequibo region, which constitutes two-thirds of Guyana, would be claimed by Venezuela.
Conrad Enill High, TT's High Commissioner to Guyana told Newsday on Sunday that he expected the result to be made public by no later than Monday, '...and we will see what happens (then).'
He said that for the time being, the Guyanese government was doing everything it needs to do in order to maintain its borders in the same position it had been in since 1899. There is serious concerns that, should the referendum result in favour of the position of the Venezuelan government, the Maduro regime in Caracas will seek to use military force to take control of the Essequibo region.
"Nobody can determine what will occur if that event happens, so to a very large extent, it is not a matter that should be considered at this point in time, except to say that the Government (of Guyana) is doing what it needs to in order to continue to maintain its borders in the manner in which it was before.
'The government of Guyana has continued to assure the public that it is doing everything it can to ensure the status quo is maintained while the matter goes for jurisdiction. There are, in some instances, some concern about where this issue can go, but the hope is both countries, Venezuela and Guyana, will operate in such a way that our jurisdiction remains a zone of peace and that we can continue as is accustomed, and that the matter will be dealt with. That is the hope, and that is what everyone is expecting,' Enill said.
As High Commissioner, Enill also said that TT's position is the same as the rest of Caricom - the matter should be resolved in court.
'TT's position is contained in the Caricom position as authorised by the leaders of Caricom. That position is clear in that it identifies that in the matter of the dispute of this nature, the International Court of Justice is the entity that will decide on this matter.
'Yesterday the court ruled on the matter and it basically said that both countries should maintain the current positions until such time that the matter is determined and that in both instances the country should seek to maintain the current position without escalating any of the issues.'
On Saturday, the ICJ delivered an order on the request by Guyana for provisional measures which included an appeal order that Venezuela not continue with a referendum in its present form, which asks opinions of the validity of the Venezuelan/Guyanese border as established in 1899, and not to take any actions that would aggravate or extend the dispute before the court.
The ICJ ruled in its order that it could not interfere with an internal election, but ordered that no actions be taken to change the current status quo.
ALI PREPARING
FOR THE WORST
In an interview with the BBC, Guyanese President Irfaan Mohammed Ali said the country's military remains on high alert in preparation for the result o
