Georgetown: Ambassador of the European Union to Guyana, Fernando Ponz- Cantó said that the European Union has not started considering sanctions for Guyana as yet since there is hope that the ongoing political situation can be resolved democratically.
It has been seven weeks and there has not been any official declarations paving the way for a president to be sworn in. This is in the aftermath of election fraud in Region Four which had been challenged successfully making way for a recount.
Ponz Cantó explained that the relation between the EU and Guyana is based on what is called the Cotonou Agreement, which is also the framework between the EU and 79 countries from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
It was pointed out that the agreement is based on fundamental principles. The agreement allows for suspension provisions to be invoked if the principles are not fulfilled.
According to the Ambassador, one sanction could be a suspension of cooperation with Guyana, noting that the EU has slapped sanctions on a number of countries in Africa, with himself involved directly in a number of cases. The EU also slapped sanctions on Haiti, a Caribbean territory.
In fact, he said that like the US, Britain and Canada, the EU has sanctions which include the freezing of assets and visa suspensions.
“Again, this is something that we don’t like to use; that I don’t like to use.”
Ponz Cantó was one of the ambassadors who walked out last month from the Ashmin’s building where the tabulation process for Region Four was suspended after questions about the process.
“If there is a breach of democracy, we will have to do it, because we are bound by those provisions…“We have a huge amount of cooperation with Guyana. I would hate it personally to see that interrupted,” he said.
He stressed that cooperation is one area can affect others. “The story is not yet finished…it is not the time yet to put forward this proposal, because this situation can still be remedied democratically.”
He explained that if not resolved democratically, then the EU has always the duty and determination to act according to principles that are “shared”.
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