WASHINGTON, CMC – The Organization of American States (OAS) has expressed “a sense of urgency and gravity” about what it described as “the aggressive stance of the Maduro regime of Venezuela towards the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.”
In a statement, the hemispheric body said that the situation has “escalated to a point of significant concern for regional security and constitutes a matter that threatens the stability and territorial sovereignty within our hemisphere.
“It is imperative to recall that the boundary established in 1899 by an international Arbitration Committee is in force and legally binding on all parties under international law,” said the OAS, noting that this award is currently reinforced by proceedings and decisions at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
It said that the United Nations Secretary-General mandated these proceedings by the terms of a 1966 agreement signed in Geneva by representatives of the governments of Venezuela and Guyana.
“The Maduro regime is continuing to take and promote unlawful actions against Guyana, such as conducting an illegal and illegitimate referendum on December 3, 2023, by which it seeks to annex the Essequibo region.
“This action was taken not only in flagrant disregard for international law and decisions of the ICJ but also, once more, with an undemocratic use of democratic processes,” the OAS said, adding that the Venezuelan government had already pursued other aggressive actions before the referendum, including several incidents and acts of intimidation.
“These illegal actions have escalated, and now the violations of the recent decision of the International Court of Justice are flagrant: the Venezuelan dictatorship is adopting jurisdictional actions in matters of defense, nationality, administration, and economics in clear violation of the jurisdiction and territorial integrity of another State,” the OAS said.
It said the Nicolas Maduro administration has also been in “permanent violation of the universal regulations of Human Rights -as attested by reports from the United Nations system- and of the inter-American regulations of Human Rights -as attested by reports from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).”
The OAS said the Venezuelan authorities are being investigated before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and that Caracas has been “a stubborn and persistent violator of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.”
In addition, the hemispheric body said that Venezuela has “generated by its actions the worst migratory crisis in the hemisphere and the worst humanitarian crisis in the hemisphere, apart from the corruption trials referring to PDVSA and drug trafficking trials that involved circles close to the dictatorship.”
The OAS said the recent actions taken by the Maduro government “not only jeopardize the development and stability of Guyana but also pose a broader risk to the security of Latin America and the Caribbean – a situation that has been repeatedly condemned by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).”
In light of these developments, and with the ICJ decision on provisional measures against Venezuela on December 1, 2023, the OAS said its General Secretariat” reaffirms and endorses the request for a meeting of the OAS Permanent Council as soon as possible.”
The OAS said this meeting would discuss “possible measures to mitigate this crisis and explore solutions that respect international law and regional stability.”
On Wednesday, the Biden administration reaffirmed its “unwavering support” for Guyana’s sovereignty, reiterating Washington’s call for a peaceful resolution of the land boundary dispute between Guyana and Venezuela.
The US Department of State said that Secretary Antony J. Blinken spoke with Guyana’s President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, calling for “all parties to respect the 1899 arbitral award determining the land boundary between Venezuela and Guyana, unless, or until, the parties reach a new agreement, or a competent legal body decides otherwise”.
The Guyana government plans to take the border issue to the United Nations Security Council.
and then  has expressed “a sense of urgency and gravity” about what it described as “the aggressive stance of the Maduro regime){kind=link}