Venezuela denies World Court jurisdiction to hear Guyana border debate – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana

Last updated on Sunday, 20 December 2020, 20:34 by Denis Chabrol

Venezuela has rejected the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to accept jurisdiction to hear the controversy over the 1899 settlement of the land border with Guyana.

“The Bolivian Republic of Venezuela condemns the ruling issued by the ICJ in the above terms, while again asserting the validity of the 1966 Geneva Agreement and affirming that it will continue to exercise its justified claim, given the grotesque fraud it r Arbitration The 1899 ruling implied to the detriment of their territorial integrity, ”said the Venezuelan Foreign Administration.

Insisting that the 1966 Geneva Agreement is the only route to bilateral dispute settlement through “friendly negotiations”, the Venezuelan Foreign Administration reiterated its rejection of the judicial route. The Nicolas Maduro administration argued that the World Court was “incapable of reaching the practical and satisfactory settlement.”

“In this sense, Venezuela has been and is willing to engage in these friendly negotiations to reach a satisfactory settlement for all,” said the Foreign Ministry in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Coalition administrations led by Reform of the National Congress of the Civic Party and the National People’s Congress have agreed that the UN-led mediation process failed to reach agreement on settling the debate.

“By determining that it has jurisdiction over the validity of the 1899 arbitration decree based on Guyana’s unilateral claim, the ICJ commits an incomprehensible and extraordinary error, not only in the consent not given by Venezuela to that jurisdiction, but by admitting an object of a dispute other than the substantive object of the dispute, as defined by the 1966 Geneva Agreement, ”the Venezuelan government said.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry also accused the ICJ of violating its decades-old doctrine and extensive jurisprudence and the law clearly shows that the court itself has no jurisdiction.

Citing international law and on the basis of the 1966 Geneva Agreement, Venezuela called on Guyana to enter into negotiations aimed at resolving “this dispute peacefully.”

The Venezuelan government called on the Venezuelan people to unite around this national historic case in defense of their sovereign right over Guayana Esequiba and to reject a decision that is harmful to law, history and justice. ”

Last week the ICJ found that it had jurisdiction to entertain Guyana’s claims about the validity of the 1899 Award concerning the border between British Guiana and Venezuela and the related question concerning the definitive settlement of the land border dispute between the territories of the Parties.

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