GUYANA-VENEZUELA/OIL Venezuela demands Guyana halt 'imperial' oil exploration

Record ID: 150620

  • Title: GUYANA-VENEZUELA/OIL Venezuela demands Guyana halt 'imperial' oil exploration
  • Date: 9th June 2015
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JUNE 9, 2015) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF VENEZUELA FOREIGN MINISTRY VARIOUS OF VENEZUELAN FOREIGN MINISTER DELCY RODRIGUEZ ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN FOREIGN MINISTER DELCY RODRIGUEZ, SAYING: "The new government of Cooperative Republic of Guyana shows a dangerous politica
  • Embargoed: 24th June 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7YUA0MXGEMMBOR7YVVDKDA28V
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Venezuela on Tuesday (June 9) demanded that neighbouring Guyana halt oil exploration being carried out by Exxon Mobil Corp in disputed offshore territory in an escalation of a long-running border dispute between the two South American nations.
    Exxon last month said it found oil off Guyana's coast, spurring complaints from Caracas that Guyana is unfairly exploiting a disputed territory that must be negotiated through a mechanism created via a 1966 treaty signed in Geneva.
    "The new government of Cooperative Republic of Guyana shows a dangerous political provocation against a peaceful Venezuela, supported by the imperial power of an American transnational, Exxon Mobil," Minister Delcy Rodriguez said, referring to Guyanese authorities elected in May.
    Exxon has said it has no comment on the bilateral dispute.
    The sparsely populated and dense jungle area known as the Essequibo encompasses an area equivalent to around two-thirds of Guyanese territory. It functions in practice as part of Guyana and shows no discernible trace of Venezuelan influence.
    Guyana says Caracas agreed to relinquish the Essequibo following a ruling by an international tribunal in 1899, but that Venezuela later backtracked on that decision.
    Venezuela says the 1899 ruling was unfair and insists the territory is still in dispute. Maps in Venezuela usually describe the Essequibo as the "reclamation zone."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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