The redeployment of His Majesty’s warship, the HMS Trent, into Guyana’s waters for several days of joint military exercises with Guyana, presented as an explicit statement of military support for Guyana against Venezuela, reheated—as intended—this conflict. Venezuela called snap military exercises Dec. 28 in the area along its border with Guyana, involving all branches of its Armed Forces and the country’s militias. The British warship proceeded to drop anchor in Guyana Dec. 29, and immediately brought the Chief of Staff of Guyana’s Defense Forces, Brig. Gen. Omar Khan, onboard for a formal luncheon and ship tour. No details have been released on the planned exercises.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry mobilized to head off further escalation. It issued a sharp statement Dec. 29 that “the Brazilian government believes that military demonstrations of support for either party should be avoided, so that the process of dialogue now underway can produce results, and is convinced that regional institutions such as CELAC and CARICOM are the appropriate forums for dealing with the issue. Brazil calls on the parties to exercise restraint, return to dialogue and respect the spirit and letter of the Argyle Declaration,” the statement read.
The Argyle Declaration was signed Dec. 14 by the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela, respectively, Irfaan Ali and Nicolás Maduro, after their meeting at the Argyle international airport in Saint Vincents and the Grenadines, under the auspices of the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The meeting had been initiated by Brazil, and was co-chaired by Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s Special Foreign Affairs Advisor Celso Amorim.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry reminded that the Argyle Declaration marked “a milestone in the efforts to peacefully address the issue, bearing in mind the spirit of integration that moves us, as a region of peace, cooperation and solidarity,” and that both nations had committed “not to use force or threaten to use force, to respect international law and to commit to regional integration and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean. The two countries also agreed to cooperate to avoid incidents on the ground and unilateral measures that could lead to an escalation of the situation.”
Brazil’s firm stance is a problem for U.S. Anglophile imperialists mapping out plans for the U.S. and U.K. to back Guyana in the war they are itching to provoke against “autocratic” Venezuela (with its Russian, Chinese, and Iranian friends), just as NATO is “backing” Ukraine against Russia! Case in point: the Nov. 30 Bloomberg piece by retired Adm. James Stavridis (NATO Supreme Allied Commander, 2009-2013), “Venezuela’s Threats to Guyana Follow Putin’s Ukraine Playbook”, who urges the U.S. to send warships into Guyana for “exercises,” and “quickly” organize on-the-ground Army exercises there, and idiotically suggested that Brazil might join the U.S. and U.K. in this gambit.
