Roundup: U.S. oil giant adds fuel to Venezuela-Guyana territorial dispute fire

Venezuela and Guyana have been seeking solutions to the Essequibo territorial dispute, yet the U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil's exploration in the area has added fuel to the fire of dispute, local media reported Friday.

According to local media reports on Friday, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry welcomed the statements made by Guyana's Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge on Thursday when he said his country had decided to accept the conditions of the Treaty of Geneva 1966.

This recent position of the Guyanese government is an opportunity for Caracas and Georgetown to establish a dialogue regarding this topic, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said.

"Minister Greenidge's statement reaffirms the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry's invitation for a dialogue regarding the territorial dispute, facilitating an advance in the bilateral agenda for the shared development of both populations," the ministry said.

Despite the cordial tone of the statement, the Venezuelan government has insisted that the U.S. transnational oil and gas corporation Exxon Mobil is undertaking informative "maneuvers" at the expense of Venezuela-Guyana ties.

Since March, Guyana has reportedly authorized Exxon Mobil to exploit the area known as "Stabroek Block" with the help of the Guyanese subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd. in lands that are part of the territorial dispute.

"We reiterate the national public opinion about these maneuvers and falsehoods spread by the Exxon Mobil Company. Through its manipulating and scheming, it tries to hinder the good relations between the neighboring countries," the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said.

Many Venezuelans have accused Exxon Mobil of adding fuel to the fire of territorial dispute.

"Exxon Mobil is creating a fuss with their incursion in the area," said Angel Rodriguez, president of the Latin American Parliament. The company is doing so to "provoke a military action from Venezuela," he said.

With tensions mounting between Guyana and Venezuela, the Venezuelan government has always defended the need to stick to the Geneva Treaty.

The treaty was drawn up by the United Nations and takes into account article 33, "there is a range of possibilities and opportunities to help look for a solution to the problem."

Among these solutions there is the option of the United Nations' Good Officer, which was agreed upon in 1987 by both countries as a mechanism to resolve the territorial dispute.

An international arbitration gave Britain rights to the Essequibo in 1899, but Venezuela called the ruling into question in 1966, upon Guyana's independence from Britain. After a few military confrontations during the 1960s and the 1970s, the conflict has remained stable.

According to Venezuela, all the territory that makes up the west of the Essequibo (bordering the Delta Amacuro and Bolivar states) belongs to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and a total of 20,000 square miles (approximately 37,000 square km) to the east of the Essequibo belongs to Guyana. Endit