Gya: Suriname-Guyana communique not based on a treaty

A communique signed in 1970 by Suriname and Guyana which included a clause agreeing "in principle" that there should be "an early demilitarisation" of the border area in the upper Corentyne, is not related to any treaty as the Suriname media have been erroneously reporting.
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Following later discussions between Burnham and Sedney in Guyana, a joint declaration was issued on June 27, 1970, which stated among other things: "The Prime Minister of Guyana indicated to the Prime Minister of Suriname that pursuant to their meeting in Trinidad and Tobago and even prior to the meeting of the Working Party on demilitarisation, his government had taken steps to withdraw military personnel from a number of points in the region of the Upper Corentyne."

Foreign Ministry officials say that Guyana has always asserted its sovereignty over the area and that while this country had indicated that it had met its obligations as set out in the communique, Suriname to this day had not indicated whether it had done the same.

Recent reports in the Suriname media following Guyana's move to take the maritime dispute to arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea have suggested that Suriname may try to insist on the removal of the Guyana Defence Force presence in the New River Triangle.