UN's Ban Ki-Moon Belatedly Reads-Out Call from Venezuela, Guyana Envoy Delay

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- When UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano held a press conference on Friday at 5 pm at the UN, Inner City Press asked him if he had raised to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his 4:30 meeting the issues between Venezuela and Guyana. Yes,  Ernesto Samper Pizano said, referring also to Ban's 3 pm meeting with Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez.

   The UN issued a read-out of Ban's 4:30 pm UNASUR meeting barely an hour after it at 5:42 pm. But the 3 pm Venezuela meeting was not read out until after 8 pm. Then the UN said:

“The Secretary-General met today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, H.E. Ms. Delcy Rodríguez. Minister Rodríguez delivered a letter addressed to the Secretary-General from President Nicolás Maduro regarding the United Nations Good Offices process on the border controversy with Guyana. The Secretary-General took note of the Minister’s views regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and stated that the UN Secretariat was in contact with both Governments regarding this issue.

“Subsequently, the Secretary-General received today a call from the President of Venezuela, H.E. Mr. Nicolás Maduro. The Secretary-General acknowledged receipt of the President’s letter regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and reiterated his assurances of the readiness of the UN Secretariat to discuss the way forward with both Governments.”

  While this is less than clear, so too is why Ban never replaced the previous Good Offices representative when he passed away. Inner City Press has asked, without answer. Watch this site.

Footnote: Inner City Press for the Free UN Coalition for Access also asked  UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano if he had raised the issue of the Malvinas Islands. Yes, he said, adding in the isuse of Guantanamo, another “colonial enclave.” But Ban Ki-moon's read-out with  UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano did not mention Malvina, or the Falklands, by name...