US rejects Venezuelan President's accusations of secret base

The United States has denied Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's claim that Washington is building secret military bases in the Essequibo, an oil-rich region disputed between Guyana and Venezuela.

“There are no plans for a secret military base,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on April 4. The US official also called on both sides (Guyana and Venezuela) to abide by the 1899 court ruling on the border “and to do so peacefully.”

Earlier, on April 3, Mr. Maduro accused the US of building secret military bases in Essequibo “to prepare for escalation against Venezuela.”

“We have information proving that on the territory of Guyana Essequibo, temporarily administered by Guyana, secret military bases of the US Command in charge of the Latin American region have been established,” Mr. Maduro said.

President Maduro's comments came as Venezuela's National Assembly celebrated a recent law protecting the Essequibo region, four months after a controversial, non-binding referendum overwhelmingly approved the creation of a Venezuelan province in the disputed region, raising fears of a military conflict.

World - US rejects Venezuelan President's accusations about secret base — Venezuela and Guyana pledge not to use force to resolve dispute over Essequibo region. Graphics: TRT World

Guyana has accused Venezuela of claiming sovereignty over the Essequibo as “a serious violation of the most basic principles of international law”.

The dispute over the Essequibo – which covers about two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and has been administered by Guyana for more than a century – intensified in 2015 after US-based energy giant ExxonMobil discovered oil deposits there.

Tensions were high after Venezuela’s referendum last December. Days after the referendum, US forces held joint US-Guyana military exercises.

Venezuela and Guyana pledged last year not to use force to resolve their border dispute, which is currently before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Guyana, a former British and Dutch colony, maintains that the Essequibo border was determined by an arbitration panel in 1899.

However, Venezuela claims the Essequibo River in the east of the region has historically formed a natural border recognized since 1777 .

Minh Duc (According to TRT World, Jiji Press)

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