GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva of Brazil has arrived to talk with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), who are wrapping up their four-day summit on Wednesday.
Host and CARICOM Chairman Dr. Irfaan Ali told reporters that President Lula is responsible for maintaining regional peace and stability.
He has also been doing so. He is a voice of reason, and I think his role is, like all others, to ensure that peace and stability remain and that all parties abide and act within the confines of international law,” President Ali said.
President Lula was pivotal in brokering the talks between Guyana and Venezuela late last year over their ongoing border dispute.
The two countries have an ongoing territorial dispute over the ownership of the Essequibo region, which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of the country’s 800,000 citizens.
Both Guyana and Venezuela have made presentations to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) relating to the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the border between Venezuela and the then-British Guiana and confirmed as legally enforceable.
Last December, Guyana, and Venezuela’s leaders ended a meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, agreeing “directly or indirectly” not to threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances as they continue to seek a resolution to the border dispute between them.
The Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela also indicated that the two countries agreed that “any controversies” between them would be resolved by international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated Feb. 17, 1966.
President Ali and President Nicolas Maduro are due to meet in Brazil to continue the talks, his visit here, President Lula will also hold bilateral talks with President Ali.
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