[www.inewsguyana.com] – Guyana’s Opposition Leader David Granger has issued a statement calling for the establishment of a permanent ‘National Borders Commission’ within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and recommends also, that the existing ‘Foreign Service Institute’ should be restructured, re-staffed and re-financed.
Granger’s requests come in the wake of what he described as the ‘unprecedented’ seizure by the Venezuelan Bolivarian Navy (Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela) of an unarmed, scientific survey vessel conducting exploration in Guyana Exclusive Economic Zone with permission from the Government of Guyana.
The details of his recommendation are that the National Borders Commission should take over the responsibility for accumulating data and documents on territorial matters and to allow for the continuous conduct of post-graduate level training courses, seminars and workshops for Foreign Service and Defence Force officers and international relations students.
Granger expressed the opinion that insufficient attention was being paid to Guyana’s border relations with Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela. He said that there needs to be greater institutional strengthening of the capability and capacity of the Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to research and respond to challenges and to safeguard Guyana’s territorial integrity.
The Opposition Leader reminded that his proposals were made in January 2012 during a meeting with Professor Norman Girvan who had been appointed by Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon as his Personal Representative to support him in his role as UN Good Officer in the Guyana-Venezuela border matter.
