Prime Minister Owen Arthur and his team of officials will not be going to Trinidad and Tobago to meet government officials there until T&T furnishes Barbados? government with a copy of a contentious memorandum of understanding (MOU) that it signed with Venezuela last August...
News Source: Barbados Advocate
This new development was disclosed yesterday by Deputy Prime and Attorney-General Mia Mottley, who convened an emergency Press conference at Government Headquarters to update journalists on Barbados? impasse with the twin-island republic.
She confirmed that the Prime Minister?s planned trip to T&T to meet with T&T Prime Minister Patrick Manning and other officials did not take place yesterday as originally planned.
The Deputy Prime Minister also disclosed that Barbados? Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent off letters to all of the major oil companies, indicating Barbados? initiation of dispute settlement mechanism in relation to maritime delimitation and fisheries between T&T and this island.
Mottley explained that it was after extensive research by Barbados that a decision was taken to the postpone the Prime Minister?s trip to T&T after a key discovery was made.
?It has now come to our understanding that a memorandum of understanding was in fact signed between the governments of T&T and Venezuela on August 12, 2003. In addition, there are elements of that MOU that are of deep concern to us and we wrote, by diplomatic note, to T&T?s Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Barbados? Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking to request a number of pieces of information, most important of which relates to the fact that we have never seen the MOU, and while we are not party to the MOU, that our interests are affected by the MOU to the extent that the MOU speaks to a framework for concluding a unitisation agreement between T&T and Venezuela,? she revealed.
Mottley explained that a unitisation agreement is simply a pact between the two countries to be able to jointly explore the mineral reserves along the border line of the 1990 Trinidad and Tobago/Venezuela Treaty, making it easier for the two parties to be able to engage in commercial exploitation in order to ensure that one is better able to protect full optimal usage of the mineral reserves.
?We have written the T&T government asking for details of that MOU or have a copy of it to confirm formally ... it is also regrettable that the matter was not raised ... in the face to face meeting between leaders of the two co untries at Villa Nova on Monday,? she said.
?It is unfortunate that we have had to do our own independent research in this regard, considering that along that borderline there is an attempt to arrogate a significant portion of Barbados? and Guyana?s maritime space,? Mottley added.
Despite this, she said, Barbados has intimated to T&T that Prime Minister Arthur will still be available to travel to T&T to meet with his counterpart, but it will be subject to receipt of the information on the MOU that was requested by diplomatic note yesterday.
?We will certainly await a formal response to the note and hopefully a supplying of the MOU. We also would wish to know whether a unitisation agreement has been signed, pursuant to that MOU,? Mottley added.
?This is a matter that has deeply disturbed the Government of Barbados. It is one that, at the very least, we feel that we have a duty to be provided the information.
?Government is vigorously pursuing information and gathering it to defend our national interest, because the circumstances in T&T are so fluid in relation to how they are treating to the area outside of the territorial waters of T&T and outside the territorial waters of Barbados, that we believe only the fullest and frankest exchanges can ensure peaceful and continued cordial relations on these matters,? she added.
Meanwhile, in giving an update on the status of a T&T delegation that was supposed to meet with Barbados officials on Tuesday, acting Foreign Affairs Minister Kerrie Symmonds said while that delegation never showed up, Barbados has still not received any formal communication from T&T on that matter.
