Venezuela and Guyana sign new anti-drugs agreement at bilateral meeting

Venezuela and Guyana have signed a new narcotics control agreement aimed at preventing narco-traffickers from using the common border to transship drugs.

Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Rondon says the agreement is one result of a high-level bilateral cooperation commission (Coban) meeting.

* A mixed anti-drugs committee will meet before the end of June.

Pavel Rondon and Guyana Foreign Minister, Rudy Insanally say both countries will work very closely to reduce drugs and arms-trafficking.

Rondon argues that Venezuela will put to use its strong legal framework and experience in the war on drugs.

Top on the agenda of the fourth Coban meeting has been the 100-year territorial dispute between the two countries ... Venezuela claims the Essequibo region, which covers around two-thirds of the country.

Both countries have agreed to renew the Good Officer mechanism to resolve the long-standing conflict after a year's silence.

It has been learned that Guyana's access to Venezuela's Petrocaribe oil program will be speeded up.

Guyana proposes to take advantage of Venezuela and Trinidad &Tobago's offers ... Guyana wants to buy cheap oil from Venezuela and have it refined in T&T at cheap rates.

Currently, Guyana buys all its fuel from T&T after a disastrous oil stoppage brought Venzuela to its knees at the beginning of 2003.