YES TO THE ESEQUIBO
NO TO EXXON MOBIL!!
LET US UNITE TO PROTECT THE
VENEZUELAN ESEQUIBO TODAY AND TOMORROW!
The land of the
Esequibo is an area that has been in dispute for many decades between Venezuela
and Guyana. It measures 159.5 km2 and 435 km of coastline on the Caribbean Sea.
The River Esequibo
with a longitude of 965.6 km is the fourth longest river in South America and
gives its name to the area. It is the home of the indigenous tribes of the akawaio,
patamona, waiwai, makushi, lokonas, wapishana y kariña peoples, whose survival
is precarious. The River Esequibo and its adjoining lands constitute a tropical
ecosystem of extraordinary biodiversity and beauty. There are 300 fish species,
60 of which are original to the river. Its biodiversity includes 1,000 species
of fauna including tapir, jaguar, turtles and innumerable birds.
Considering
· That in 2009 President Hugo Chávez warned
in Copenhagen that “ 60% of ecosystems of the planet have been harmed ” and that “
climate change is, without a doubt, the most devastating environmental problem
of this century ”; [i]
· That the Fifth Objective of the Venezuelan
National Plan (2013-2019) is “the
preservation of the human species and of life on the planet” thus affirming
the government’s engagement to caring for the environment;
· That the long term aim of Venezuela is to
attain a future with a diversified economy that reduces the current dependency
on exploitation of that valuable but non-renewable resource, petroleum;
· That the Venezuelan efforts to preserve and
protect the environment such as: the sowing 45 million trees in 6 years,
forbidding GMO seeds, the establishment of a Ministry of Ecosocialism and the
implementation of important environmental measures, being the first country in
the world to forbid trawl fishing in its waters, having implemented programs to
preserve endangered species such as turtles and crocodiles, and implemented
laws to protect biodiversity;
· In view of the environmental enthusiasm of
Communal Councils, Communes, workers, agriculturalists, students, environmental
associations and thousands of volunteers of the civil society;
We therefore,
Believe that
Venezuela is in an excellent position to be an effective steward to protect the important but fragile
ecosystem of the River Esequibo and could tend its hand to Guyana so that it
too can act to preserve the Esequibo area.
Considering that Exxon
Mobil, the largest oil company in the world,
· Was one of the
powerful forces behind the refusal of the USA to ratify the Kyoto Accord;
· Is responsible for the largest oil spill in
the USA – the Exxon Valdez- which it has never fully cleaned up nor given
compensation for;
· That it has attacked the majority of the
scientific studies that warn about climate change;
· That has violated human rights with
torture, deaths and rapes in Indonesia and Nigeria;
· That is responsible for the cruel deaths of
hundreds of dogs in the Alaska sled races which it supports;
· That continues to do experiments on live
dogs;
· Whose underwater explosions have killed
countless number of Gray whales;
· That is the corporation that most uses its
profits to influence governments;
· That is encouraging the current government
of Guyana to an aggressive stance in the border negotiations with Venezuela
trying to provoke a war confrontation so that it can carry out unfettered oil
exploration in the Esequibo ecosystem;[ii]
We ask the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela, to continue its peaceful diplomatic
efforts in this border dispute, that it stress its respect for indigenous
rights, reaffirm its commitment to the protection of the Esequibo River
ecosystem and that it not cease to protect it from the depredations of Exxon
Mobil.
We ask the citizens of the world to sign this petition in favour of the
environmentalist and peaceful Venezuelan efforts, to repudiate the most
sinister oil company in the world whose intrusion in the Esequibo would be the
death of a unique ecological area of the world and greatly harm indigenous
life.
And we ask our brothers and sisters of Guyana, members of Our America, to repudiate the
intromission of Exxon Mobil in the border negotiations between Venezuela and
Guyana, and we ask them to unite environmental efforts of both countries to
preserve the Esequibo as a zone of eco-tourism, parks and sanctuaries and a
secure home for the traditional indigenous peoples who live there.
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