Dozens of soldiers from the Venezuelan Bolivarian Armed Force (FANB) marching in a military parade. Photo: AFP/File photo.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro led an event with the Council of State, the Defense Council of the Nation, and the Federal Council of Government. He announced nine necessary actions following the successful results of the Essequibo referendum, the most important being the creation of the Guayana Esequiba state, as irrefutably mandated by the Venezuelan people.
This Tuesday, December 5, Alba Ciudad reported that President Maduro stated, “I assume responsibility for a set of actions and decisions that I proceed to announce,” before enumerating them as summarized below:
1. The creation of a new High Commission for the Defense of Guayana Esequiba.
2. The initiation of parliamentary debate and approval of the Organic Law for the creation of the Guayana Esequiba state, with President Maduro personally delivering the draft to National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez.
3. The creation of the Guayana Esequiba Comprehensive Defense Zone, with administrative and military headquarters in Tumeremo.
4. The provisional appointment of General Alexis Rodríguez Cabello as the Sole Authority of Guayana Esequiba, with administrative and military headquarters in Tumeremo.
5. The creation of the PDVSA and CVG Essequibo Division, with all administrative and operational powers for the extraction of resources in Guayana Esequiba.
6. The drawing of a new complete map of Venezuela, including Guayana Esequiba, to be delivered and disseminated in schools, high schools, and universities in the country.
7. The drafting and launching of a comprehensive social plan for the inhabitants of Guayana Esequiba, including a census and issuing of Venezuelan identification cards.
8. The drafting of a law prohibiting business relations with transnational corporations with oil concessions in the waters yet to be delimited with Guyana, not being part of the Essequibo territory dispute. The law should establish a period of three months for the withdrawal of these corporations from the territory.
9. The drafting and approval of a Special Law for the environmental protection of Essequibo with the creation of protected areas and national parks.
President Maduro: Essequibo Referendum is Binding and I Will Enforce People’s Decision
Annexation vs. Incorporation
Mainstream media has also launched a campaign alleging military skirmishes on the border of Venezuela and the Essequibo territory, including accusations of imminent annexation of the disputed territory by Venezuela. The campaign is clearly promoted by US mainstream media. According to Orinoco Tribune Editor Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza, many Western leftists have fallen into the trap of this narrative.
“The fact is that Venezuela is not the aggressor state in this dilemma,” said Rodríguez-Espinoza. “On the contrary, Guyana is. This is because Guyana has not recognized the 1966 Geneva Agreement, has held recurrent military drills with the US and hosted high-level visits of US Southern Command officials to Guyana, actively participated in the defunct Lima Group aiming to isolate Venezuela diplomatically and overthrow the democratically elected president of Venezuela, and granted oil concessions in waters that are not even part of the dispute and belong unequivocally to Venezuela. In addition, the position of Guyanese President Irfaan Ali has not aided matters at all, as he has rejected multiple attempts initiated by Venezuela and by President Maduro to resolve the issue using diplomatic means.”
“No one in Venezuela is talking about annexation or military aggression against Guyana,” added Rodríguez-Espinoza. “No one is doing that. But the international campaign outside Venezuela is pushing in that direction, and that is very troublesome. The referendum was to symbolically incorporate the territory as another state and initiate plans to grant social services and Venezuelan citizenship to those living in the area. This is the most diplomatic and peaceful tool to begin exercising sovereignty over a territory that Venezuela has proven, with documents, belongs to it.”
The Venezuelan analyst and Orinoco Tribune editor also added that US mainstream media and the White House are trying to portray the recent Essequibo escalation and the referendum as an attempt by President Maduro to distract from economic problems and the opposition primaries. In reality, according to Rodríguez-Espinoza, the Venezuelan economy is recovering at a steady pace, and there is a positive attitude among Venezuelans regarding economic prospects. Meanwhile, few Venezuelans paid attention to the opposition primaries, as the low turnout numbers demonstrated.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SF/SL
