PPP/C retains Carl Greenidge until conclusion of Guyana and Venezuela border case

Former Foreign Secretary, Carl Greenidge, has been retained by the Irfaan Ali led administration as Guyana’s agent in the ongoing Guyana/ Venezuela border case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Hugh Todd, Guyana’s new Foreign Minister, made this disclosure Sunday and stated that he was already briefed by Greenidge on the current position of the case. “He is on the team and he will be to the conclusion of this matter,” Minister Todd told the press during a briefing at the State House. Todd said, too, that the PPP is “very happy to have his service” while adding that he is very committed to the process.

“This is not a political issue. It is a national issue and he recognizes this and he is very accommodating to us,” the Foreign Minister said. Further to this, Minister Todd clarified that Carl Greenidge would not be retained as the Foreign Secretary which was the position he served under the previous A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration.

Whether Greenidge would be offered a position after serving as Guyana’s agent is still unclear. The Minister avoided giving any details in this regard. He did inform reporters however that any such decisions would depend on discussions between Greenidge and President Ali. Carl Greenidge had served as Guyana’s Foreign Secretary from May 2015 to July 2018 until he resigned from his post in the National Assembly as a result of being a dual citizen. It was Greenidge who filed the case at the ICJ to settle the territorial controversy between Guyana and Venezuela in which the latter is spuriously claiming a large percentage of Guyana’s territorial waters. Guyana’s delegation on the case included Greenidge; Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira; and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Rashleigh Jackson. The case was first heard in June 2020 where arguments were led by Guyana’s first Attorney General, Sir Shridath Ramphal. The ICJ is expected to meet again in September when the matter will continue.

(Kaieteur News)