President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) told allies heard by CNN that he is increasingly disappointed with the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and signalled that he can break politically with the leader of the neighbouring country if the invasion of the Essequibo region, which corresponds to 70% of the territory, is confirmed.
The long-standing border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela is properly before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). While the substantive case is still ongoing, on December 1, the ICJ in a unanimous decision ordered Venezuela not to take any action that would alter Guyana’s control over its Essequibo region – acting on the results of its contentious referendum which is aimed at getting the public’s support for Venezuela’s decisions regarding the Essequibo region.
CNN reported that in private conversations, Lula has nostalgically recalled the friendship he had with former President Hugo Chávez, who died in 2013, and said that he does not maintain the same relationship with the current president.
The Brazilian president, according to close sources, would be “less sceptical” than Itamaraty about the possibility of a war in the region and regretted that Maduro “exploded” the Brazilian effort to normalise next year’s elections in Venezuela and thus take the country out of isolation.
CNN said if the president of Venezuela moves forward with his war plans in the region of Guyana, Brazil will respond harshly. The country, however, still bets on the path of negotiation. On Tuesday, Chancellor Mauro Vieira spoke with President Irfaan Ali, and on Wednesday, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil.
On Friday, Brazil won the support of Mexico. Mexico’s foreign secretary, Alicia Barcena, stated that her country was “alonging” to Lula’s initiative for Celac to “promote dialogue” between the two countries “in order to find a peaceful solution”.
The Brazilian diplomatic messages, however, are all of reprimand to Venezuela. The South American trade bloc – Mercosur in a statement criticised “unilate attitudes”, which, in Brazil’s view, so far, have been taken only by Venezuela.
The passage from the document in which both countries are “stimulated to dialogue” should not be seen as criticism of Guyana, diplomats explain. For Brazil, the Guyanese only sought international support when resorting to the United States, although the country sees with great concern the American military presence in the region.
Moreover, according to international reports, in a phone call on December 9, Lula reportedly urged Maduro against taking unilateral measures that could escalate the border controversy.
“Lula emphasized the importance of avoiding unilateral measures that could escalate the situation” in the disputed oil-rich Essequibo region, the Brazilian presidency said in a statement.
It said Lula had told his Venezuelan counterpart of fellow South American countries’ “growing concern,” citing a joint declaration Thursday by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay that called for “both parties to negotiate to seek a peaceful solution.”
Lula reiterated that call in his conversation with Maduro, proposing the head of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States contact both sides to set up talks on the dispute, according to his office. He told Maduro that “we are a region of peace,” the statement said.
