BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – The United Nations is prepared to intervene in the border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela as Caribbean countries seek an amicable solution to the issue on Friday.

Guyana’s President David Granger, who has called on CARICOM leaders to “strongly” condemn the decision by Caracas to disregard a 116 year-old agreement regarding their borders, said that the offer was made during bilateral talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday.

Granger told reporters that he had also indicated to Ban that the Good Officers Process which Guyana and Venezuela had started a few years back has been exhausted.

“We have informed him that the process is more and less exhausted and he has indicated his willingness to appoint a mission to come to Guyana and we have told him that the situation now is that the dispute has gone beyond Guyana/Venezuela and it has now contaminated relations with the entire Eastern Caribbean. It is becoming regionalise” Granger said.

Granger said during the meeting he informed the UN Secretary General that rather than improving,  the security situation in the Eastern Caribbean, the situation is deteriorating and that he expects the UN Secretary General to play an important role in helping to reduce the “level of tension and to support Guyana in having that obnoxious decree withdrawn”.

Ban speaking at a news conference later said that the Un was prepared to use its good office to assist in finding a solution to the matter that arose after President Nicolas Madura in May announced a decree that includes all the Atlantic waters off the Essequibo Coast.

While President Granger was holding bi lateral talks with several Caribbean leaders on the issue, at least two regional prime ministers – Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica and his St Vincent and the Grenadines counterpart, Dr Ralph Gonsalves – were holding talks with Venezuela’s Executive Vice President, Jorge Arreaza.

Prime Minister Gonsalves, who is expected to brief his colleagues when they meet in caucus later on Friday, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) “it is very serious” while Skerrit acknowledged an uphill task in reaching a resolution.

“We are still working on a final solution to this matter,” he said.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, who met with Granger, said Port of Spain had expressed full support for its Caribbean member state, describing the decree by Maduro as “unilateral.

“Trinidad and Tobago fully supports Guyana with respect the border dispute with Venezuela,” she said, adding that her administration had offered to assist “in any way.

“We pledge our support to Guyana in this matter, we have always supported Guyana in the border dispute and we will continue to do so,” she said adding that Port of Spain had indicated also a willingness to help Georgetown in its oil exploration “because of our long history in that industry”.

She said while Port of Spain “understand in some regards the constraints of the President of  Venezuela, but our understanding with our expert in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that this decree is in violation of international law…and therefore if we are looking at the legality of it we do not support the issuing of the decree….

She said while Trinidad and Tobago is in full agreement with the call by Granger for a withdrawal of the decree “we are saying there may be room for dialogue we are prepared to assist in that regard as well.

“Trinidad and Tobago has offered and will in fact speak both with Venezuela and Guyana with a view to having dialogue, as to whether the venue will be x or y nation that is to be determined …

“But it may well have reached the stage beyond dialogue, but I always feel there is room for dialogue and that is the offer we have made for dialogue to continue. We have had good relations with Guyana as we have had good relations with Venezuela and I think we are well poised to have further discussion on this matter.

“I know the United Nations Secretary general Ban Ki-moon has indicated his view to Guyana on the matter, I know that the S G of the Commonwealth has also indicated their view,” she said, noting that the decree also had implications for Trinidad and Tobago.

“The decree does change certain boundary points to the detriment of Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.