The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, claims that covert US military installations in Essequibo are being constructed “to prepare for an escalation against Venezuela,” a charge that Washington disputes.
Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, has claimed that Washington is constructing covert military facilities in Essequibo, an oil-rich area of Guyana that Caracas claims is its own. However, the US has refuted this accusation.
A spokesman for the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, stated on Thursday that “there are no plans for a secret military base.”
He continued, “and to do it peacefully,” urging all sides to respect a court decision from 1899 regarding the border.
On Wednesday, Maduro denounced as “aggression” the purported US military bases in Essequibo, claiming they were constructed “to prepare for an escalation against Venezuela.”
Four months after a contentious, non-binding referendum overwhelmingly approved the creation of a Venezuelan province in the disputed region, raising concerns about a military conflict, Maduro made his remarks during a ceremony held by the parliament to commemorate a recent law outlining the defense of Guyana Essequibo.
Venezuela’s attempt to claim Essequibo was denounced by Guyana as a “egregious violation of the most fundamental principles of international law.”
disputed area
The fight for Essequibo, which comprises over two-thirds of Guyana’s land and has been governed by Guyana for over a century, grew increasingly intense in 2015 following the US energy giant ExxonMobil’s discovery of oil resources.
Following the referendum in December, tensions soared. A few days later, US and Guyanan soldiers conducted combined military drills.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague is now hearing arguments on Venezuela and Guyana’s border dispute; both countries promised last year not to use force to resolve the issue.
The former colony of the British and Dutch, Guyana, maintains that an arbitration panel in 1899 established the boundaries of the Essequibo.
But according to Venezuela, a recognized natural border has existed historically between the region and the Essequibo River since 1777.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
