Gouveia urges CARICOM unity, says US presence no threat to Caribbean stability

National Security Advisor to President Irfaan Ali, Gerald Gouveia Snr., has underscored the need for a unified message from CARICOM, arguing that the presence of the US military in the southern Caribbean does not undermine regional stability.

He raised the issue recently on Ignite News’ election update.

In August, Guyana said it viewed with “grave concern” the threat to peace and security posed by transnational organised crime and narco-terrorism, often involving groups such as Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles.

The statement warned that such networks could overwhelm state institutions, undermine democracy and threaten development. Guyana reaffirmed its commitment to bilateral, regional and global efforts to dismantle the networks and safeguard shared security, stressing unity to preserve the region as a Zone of Peace.

The United States deployed military assets south of the Caribbean several weeks ago, saying the move was aimed at disrupting the flow of narcotics in the region.

Earlier this week, Washington released footage of an airstrike that killed 11 people on board a vessel allegedly carrying drugs for Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel in international waters.

Gouveia said Caribbean nations should be concerned about the movement of narcotics in the region. He praised Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s support for US action against transnational crime. He also commended her for pledging to allow US access to Trinidadian territory should Venezuela target Guyana, with which it has a long-running territorial dispute.

Gouveia said it was unfortunate that other Caribbean nations condemned Persad-Bissessar’s statement and accused her of breaking ranks with CARICOM while “nobody spoke about the fact that they (too) were speaking without the brotherhood and sisterhood of CARICOM.”

He suggested CARICOM leaders reassess their positions on the US military presence, citing rising criminality in the region and Venezuela’s threat to Guyana as a member state.

He added that President Ali is a genuine participant in CARICOM leadership. “So when CARICOM leaders sit in Venezuela with (Nicolas) Maduro while he is scheming to take our land… we really do have a challenge and we need to deal with that,” he said.

Trinidad’s Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday, citing Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, that the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held an emergency meeting on Monday to address the US presence. The bloc sought to draft a communique condemning Washington’s military role, warning it could cause instability and threaten regional security.

According to Sobers, Trinidad and Tobago and other Latin American nations including Argentina, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Panama and Costa Rica, objected. They argued that while they support a region of peace and stability, there is no evidence the US intervention against transnational crime would destabilise regional security.