Tension is rising in Guyana and neighboring Brazil is worried. President Lula called a crisis meeting in the middle of the Mercosur summit in Rio. He was to meet this Wednesday evening with his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, and his diplomatic advisor Celso Amorim. But already, he has decided to strengthen the military presence on the border with Venezuela and Guyana.
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Brazil will send 28 armored vehicles to the north of the country, on the border with its two neighbors, Venezuela and Guyana. He had already sent 60 soldiers to prevent the crisis from spilling over. Because in the event of a land offensive, Nicolas Maduro’s troops should pass through Brazilian territory, near the town of Pacaraima, according to certain Brazilian military sources. The hypothesis is improbable, but it is not completely ruled out, explains our correspondent in Sao Paulo, Martin Bernard.
Read alsoPress review: strong tension between Venezuela and its neighbor, Guyana
On the diplomatic front, President Lula has failed to calm things down. Close to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, he has not managed to dissuade him from wanting to annex the Essequibo region, an area rich in oil and disputed between the two countries for almost two centuries. For his part, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali still hopes that Lula can play a leadership role in bringing stability to the region. He also appealed to the UN Security Council.
The UN strongly supports the use of exclusively peaceful means to resolve international disputes », Reacted Wednesday Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Secretary General Antonio Guterres. However, he recalled that “ decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) » who asked the two countries on Friday to “ refrain from any action likely to aggravate the dispute ” are “ binding “, saying to himself ” confident that both States will duly comply with the order of the Court “.
Venezuela does not recognize the ICJ in this case, claiming to want a negotiated settlement based on an agreement signed in 1966 with the United Kingdom just before Guyana’s independence.
Read alsoEssequibo: the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, is not giving up
After bitter exchanges, the two countries renewed contact on Wednesday. “ At the request of the Guyanese side, Foreign Minister (Guyan) Hugh Todd held a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Yvan Gil to discuss the issue of the territorial dispute », According to a press release from the Venezuelan ministry.
The two countries ” agreed to keep communication channels open “. The Venezuelan side expressed the need to cease actions that “ aggravate the dispute », adds the text.
This rapprochement contrasts sharply with the press release issued barely five hours earlier by the same Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Caracas accused Guyanese President Irfaan Ali of having given “ in an irresponsible manner ” THE “ green light » to the installation of American military bases in Essequibo.
Read alsoVenezuela: as expected, the referendum is a massive “yes” to the attachment of Essequibo