WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The long standing border dispute between Guyana and its eastern neighbor Suriname is set to begin before the United Nations International Arbitral Tribunal on the Law of the Sea in Washington today.
Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rudy Insanally, revealed that two rounds of written submissions have already taken place and now both countries have to present oral arguments at the hearings scheduled from December 7 through the 20th. A final settlement could come by late 2007.
The dispute dates back to June 1962, when the Dutch government made its first official claim to ownership of the New River Triangle in the Corentyne River. From then, the Suriname government seized the opportunity to assert its claim to the area.
In 2002, a Canadian oil exploration company, CGX, operating with the permission of the Guyana Government, was forcibly expelled from conducting exploration in the river by the Surinamese authorities in a show of force that brought the once dormant issue back on the front burner of national foreign policy.
At present, Guyanese fishermen in the Corentyne River have to obtain permits from the Surinamese authorities to fish in certain parts of the river.
Foreign Affairs Minister Rudy Insanally has expressed confidence that the eventual ruling will be in Guyana’s favor. Guyana also has an outstanding territorial dispute with Venezuela, which is currently being dealt with under the auspices of the U.N.
President Bharrat Jagdeo this week stated that, “Securing an authoritative line of delimitation will offer significant opportunities for Guyana's economic development …,” while adding, “it is those years ahead, cleared of current disagreements on our maritime boundaries, that should be uppermost in our minds.”
