Guyana says it informed Caracas of its border extension request

Guyana dismissed on Tuesday reports that it failed to provide information about the actions it undertook to extend its continental shelf, with the aim of increasing its gas and oil reserves.

The Guyanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled that its government sent a diplomatic note to the Venezuelan embassy on May 13, 2009, in which it included all the details of the request it had made to the UN Secretary General to extend its continental shelf by 150 nautical miles.

The Guyanese Foreign Ministry added that the paper is the Executive Summary that Guyana submitted to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), AFP reported.

However, the coordinates of the outer limits that Guyana requested to extend were subsequently adjusted based on seismic data that were obtained after May 2009, the Guyanese ministry added.

Earlier this month, Guyana asked the UNCLOS to increase its continental shelf by 150 nautical miles, beyond the 200 miles from its outer limits in this exclusive economic zone.

Venezuela on Monday expressed discomfort because Guyana had not previously informed Caracas about its request, even though "there is fluid communication mechanisms" between both governments.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said late on Monday that he had asked his foreign minister "to send a note to the government of Guyana making clear our position and our disagreement on some decisions that have been taken in connection with the Law of the Sea."