Venezuela's Acting L:eader To Appear Before World Court Over Territorial Dispute with Guyana

Venezuela’s Acting Leader To Appear Before World Court Over Territorial Dispute With Guyana VENEZUELA/ GUYANA Venezuela Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez arrived in the Netherlands this week for hearings at the International Court of Justice to defend her country’s claim to a resource-rich region in western Guyana, part of a decades-old territorial dispute between the South American neighbors. The case at the United Nations’ top court centers on Essequibo, a nearly 62,000-square-mile territory rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources, located near a major offshore oil deposit. The dispute, rooted in the colonial era, has intensified in recent years following major oil discoveries offshore and repeated Venezuelan naval patrols near waters claimed by Guyana. Guyana brought the case to the ICJ in 2018 seeking confirmation that an 1899 arbitration ruling – which established the border largely in favor of what was then British Guiana – remains legally valid. Venezuela counters that the ruling was fraudulent and says a 1966 Geneva agreement effectively nullified it and requires bilateral negotiations instead. Rodríguez said Caracas has “demonstrated at every historical stage what our territory has meant since we were born as a Republic.” Guyana’s Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd told judges on May 4 at the opening of the hearings that the dispute “has been a blight on our existence as a sovereign state from the beginning” and said 70 percent of Guyana’s territory was at stake. Venezuela has continued to reject the ICJ’s jurisdiction, despite participating in the proceedings. The court is expected to take months to issue a final and legally binding ruling.