GUYANA'S SUPPORT FOR GUATEMALA'S UNSC PUSH UP IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L GEORGETOWN 000519 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/CAR WHA/PPC - RTYONEOKA IO/UNP - BHARRIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC GY XL SUBJECT: GUYANA'S SUPPORT FOR GUATEMALA'S UNSC PUSH UP IN THE AIR REF: A. SECSTATE 86256 ¶B. GEORGETOWN 191 Classified By: Ambassador Roland W. Bullen For reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) Ambassador delivered demarche May 31 per reftel to Minister of Foreign Affairs Rudy Insanally. ¶2. (C) Insanally is "sympathetic to Guatemala's ambition" for the Latin American non-permanent UNSC seat, but the "bugbear" remains its border issue with Belize. He referred more than once to CARICOM members' unstinting sensitivity to each other's needs on such matters. However, Insanally said that CARICOM may not be able reach a unanimous position regarding whose candidacy to support. They will need to decide by July. He intends to talk with Belize to ascertain if they "could be satisfied" with CARICOM members voting for Guatemala. Insanally also wants to discuss this further with CARICOM colleagues on the margins of the upcoming OAS General Assembly. He has already spoken with Jamaican FM Hylton on this issue at the early May EU-LAC in Vienna. ¶3. (C) Insanally expressed his frustration with the lack of progress on the Guyana-Venezuela border issue. He acknowledged the harm done to the development of Guyana's western regions and lamented that implementation of steps agreed to in 2004 has been "very poor". Insanally had hoped that a recent Guyana-Venezuela bilateral meeting would tee up a visit this year by President Jagdeo to Venezuela (reciprocating Chavez' 2004 Guyana visit),but the idea was rebuffed. ¶4. (C) COMMENT. Despite claims of CARICOM solidarity on all border issues, Guyana receives little in the way of tangible support from CARICOM on its dispute with Venezuela. But frankly, the GoG seems reluctant to press hard for such support. The GoG fears Veneluela and tries its best to avoid confrontation with Chavez -- even though Venezuela's claim does significant harm to Guyana. END COMMENT. Bullen