Nicolas Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, has warned Britain not to interfere in his country's territorial dispute with Guyana. Photo: LEONARDO FERNANDEZ VILORIA/Reuters
Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president, warned Britain «not to mess with» his country as he sent thousands of troops in response to a Royal Navy ship being sent to the region.
G- Mr Maduro called Britain was a «decadent, rotten former empire» as he ordered troops to carry out defensive maneuvers ahead of the arrival of HMS Trent to support neighboring Guyana in a territorial dispute.
Britain said on Sunday it would send a patrol ship to former British colony amid a simmering dispute in the South American country over the oil-rich Essequibo region.
A source in Guyana's Foreign Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the ship was expected to arrive on Friday and would remain there for «less than a week» for offshore defense exercises. The ship will not dock in Georgetown.
Mr Maduro said he was launching “a joint defensive action in response to the provocations and threats of the United Kingdom against the peace and sovereignty of our country.”
A television broadcast accompanying Mr. Maduro's statement showed fighter jets taking part in Venezuelan exercises, as well as ships and ocean-going patrol vessels.
The Venezuelan government earlier in a statement asked Guyana to «take immediate steps to withdraw HMS Trent and refrain from involving military powers in territorial disputes.»
Great Britain sent HMS Trent to Guyana Photo: Alex Ceolin/Royal Navy
Mr. Maduro claims that Essequibo — about two-thirds of Guyana's territory — is Venezuelan soil. The decades-long dispute erupted after huge oil deposits were discovered in its waters.
Escalating tensions have raised fears of a potential conflict in the region over the remote 160,000-square-meter territory. km (62,000 sq. m).
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Mr. Maduro and Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, agreed at a meeting earlier this month not to resort to force to resolve the dispute.
“We believe in diplomacy, in dialogue, in peace,” Mr. Maduro. said.
“But no one should threaten Venezuela, no one should mess with Venezuela. We are people of peace, we are people of peace, but we are warriors and this threat is unacceptable to any sovereign country,” he said.
“The threat to the decadent, rotten, former empire of the United Kingdom is unacceptable.”
British government spokesman condemns Venezuela's actions
“Venezuela’s actions against Guyana are unjustified and must stop. The border between both countries was settled in 1899 through international arbitration and we continue to support the territorial integrity of Guyana, an important regional ally and partner of the Commonwealth.
“HMS Trent is currently in the Caribbean and will visit Guyana from tomorrow day (December 29) as part of a series of regular events in the region.
“We are working with partners in the region to prevent escalation and continue to closely monitor the situation.”
Nicolas Maduro has deployed thousands of troops soldiers to the coast Photo: MIRAFLORES PALACE/Reuters
David Rutley, the British government's foreign secretary, visited Guyana earlier this month and confirmed that sovereign borders «must be respected» and that London would work internationally «to ensure territorial The integrity of Guyana is maintained.”
Mr Maduro's government held a controversial referendum on December 3 in which 95 percent of voters, according to the far-left regime, supported declaring Venezuela the rightful owner of Guyana. Essequibo.
He has since begun legal maneuvers to create a Venezuelan province in Essequibo and ordered the state oil company to issue oil licenses in the region.
Mr. Ali of Guyana has branded him . these actions pose a «serious threat to international peace and security.»
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