Maduro turns up the heat –issues new decree against Guyana

IN a strange turn of events regarding the territorial issue between Guyana and Venezuela, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has issued a new decree [Decree 1859], as an amendment to his May 27 decree, which sought to extend Venezuela’s claims to Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coasts of Essequibo and Demerara.
Maduro’s position was made clear in his three-hour-plus address to an extraordinary sitting of Venezuela’s National Assembly on Monday, where he denounced the recent statements made by President David Granger at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government meeting in Barbados, which ended a few days ago.

The first Maduro decree was issued exactly a week after this discovery and claimed sovereignty over a 200-mile range of Guyana’s continental shelf covering the area where the US company is carrying out exploration activities. Furthermore, Grange rubbished claims by the Venezuelan President that his country was the victim of aggression from Guyana. Addressing the Venezuelan National Assembly on Monday, Maduro claimed that the country was being “attacked” daily by his Guyanese counterpart. He specifically referred to a recent statement by President Granger, which he said was full of insults, contempt and racism towards his country. President Granger declared that Guyana could in no way be aggressive to a country that was four times bigger, has a population that was 40 times larger and a stronger military. In fact, the Guyanese Head of State noted that it was Venezuela who has been aggressive towards Guyana for decades. He went further to mention that over the years, past and even current Venezuelan Presidents have displayed aggression towards Guyana.