Vincentian Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has confirmed that he will not be taking on the role of mediator in the discussions scheduled for Thursday between the president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.
He made the revelation during an interview on CNC3 News on Sunday night.
His statement comes after he facilitated the dialogue between the two nations who are currently embroiled in a conflict over the Essequibo region.
Gonsalves said the aim was for the two leaders to have “respectful” dialogue on the Essequibo border issue.
He maintained that “the region has been and is a zone of peace and we would like to keep it like this. If opened to conflict … the implications are horrendous”
Gonsalves said any disruption within the zone of peace would negatively affect everyone in the Caribbean and Latin America.
“Many things need to be addressed and the matter of the commitment to international law, the commitment to maintain the region as a zone of peace and not to go to open conflict, all are of great importance and I’m sure when leaders sit down, they will search for modalities to maintain the peace,” he said.
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yván Gil, in a social media post, thanked CELAC and Caricom for their efforts in promoting high-level dialogue between the presidents of Guyana and Venezuela.
“We are fully certain that the territorial controversy will only be resolved through dialogue,” he said in a report carried in Venezuela’s national newspaper, El Universal.