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The Brazilian government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva mobilized militarily and intensified diplomatic contacts to mediate the dispute over the Essequibo region, which faces its neighbors Venezuela and Guyana.
A senior adviser to Lula will attend the meeting of Venezuelan leaders Nicolás Maduro and Guyanese leader Irfaan Ali in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Caribbean) on Thursday to address escalating tensions.
These are the keys to the Brazilian giant's concerns and role in the Essequibo dispute, an oil-rich territory administered by Guyana and where multinationals such as the American ExxonMobil are present.
The largest South American country borders Essequibo for almost 800 kilometers, mainly in the Amazon state of Roraima (north).
In this border region there are six Brazilian communities in which around 140,000 people live, including around 40,000 indigenous people.
Amid escalating tensions, Brazil announced military reinforcements in the region last week.
The army “increased the presence” of an infantry brigade of almost 2,000 soldiers for tasks of “surveillance and protection of the national territory” and sent 16 armored vehicles to the city of Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima.
Although Venezuela and Guyana share a border more than 700 kilometers long, a possible invasion of Caracas, Essequibo, would have to occur by land via Brazil, Paulo Roberto da Silva Gomes Filho, a military science expert, told AFP.
“This border (between Venezuela and Guyana) is practically completely covered by jungle, it does not provide conditions for the movement of troops with vehicles or logistical support to consider an invasion,” Gomes Filho said.
The Brazilian government has admitted that it is considering this possibility, although it is unlikely.
“We cannot allow one country to attack another using our territory,” Defense Minister José Mucio said Monday.
“But we are absolutely sure that this will be resolved at the best dispute table there is, a negotiating table,” he added.
Lula's government also fears another impact of the current dispute: a possible foreign military presence on the continent and in the Amazon.
“What I fear most is that the crisis sets precedents for foreign bases and troops in the region. We are talking about the Amazon, which always causes us great concern,” admitted Celso Amorim, chief advisor of International Affairs of Lula, in an interview with the Meio channel.
The United States announced military air exercises in Guyana last week amid the escalation. Caracas had previously accused its neighbor of giving the “green light” to US military bases in Essequibo.
Lula was invited to Thursday's meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but the government announced that Amorim would be Brazil's representative, without giving the reasons for the president's resignation.
The veteran leftist has expressed his “growing concern” about the crisis between the neighbors and advocated for a declaration by South American countries in favor of a “peaceful solution.”
In a phone call on Saturday, he urged Maduro not to take “unilateral actions” that could increase tensions.
Maurício Santoro, associate professor at the Brazilian Navy's Center for Political-Strategic Studies, said Lula has the opportunity to present himself as a successful moderator.
“Brazil is the largest country in the region, everything it does has political and economic consequences (…) But for it to work, (Lula) must put great pressure on the government of Venezuela,” he concluded.
Lula faced criticism this year for defending Maduro's government, particularly when he said in May that allegations of authoritarianism in Venezuela were a “narrative.”
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