Colombia and Venezuela Border Dispute
The origins of the border controversy between Colombia and Venezuela, like the border problems with Guyana, are an outgrowth of the struggles between the major European colonial powers of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries for new markets and lands. While Spain, Portugal, Britain, and Tolland competod with one another for power and wealth, their colonies in the New World began their struggles for independence. In the early years of the nineteenth century, the Latin American colonies emerged as independent nations without the benefit of clearly defined national boundaries.
Simon Bolivar, the father of South American democracy, dreamed of a federation, a sort of United States of Spanish America, and through his influence united Colombia, Vene7uiela, and Ecuador in the Republic of Gran Colombia. But, by the time of his death in 1830, Bolivar's federation of Gran Colombia had fallen apart, and Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador became separate states. Independent Venezuela was at once faced with boundary problems.
Colombia shares a border of over 2,219 kilometers with Venezuela. Negotiations to define the boundaries with neighboring countries, carried out with this Republic were undoubtedly the most complex and dilated. The demarcation was agreed by a number of instruments including the Award Spanish in 1891, the arbitration of the Swiss Federal Council of 1922 and finally the Lopez De Mesa-Gil Borges 1941, which ended the long territorial bargaining Treaty.
- " Treaty on arbitration" Juris "between the United States of Colombia and the United States of Venezuela" , signed in Caracas (Venezuela), on September 14, 1881, by the plenipotentiaries of Colombia and AROSEMENA JUSTO ANTONIO L. GUZMAN of Venezuela .
- "Award on the boundary question between the Republic of Colombia and the United States of Venezuela" , given at the Royal Palace of Madrid (Spain), on March 16, 1891, by Queen Regent Maria Cristina.
- "Arbitration Award of the Swiss Federal Council" , given in Bern, Switzerland, on March 24, 1922, and signed by Mr. President and Chancellor of the Swiss Confederation.
- "Treaty on Demarcation of Borders and Navigation of Commons Rivers with Venezuela" , signed in the Temple of Villa del Rosario of Cucuta on 5 April 1941 by the plenipotentiaries Luis López de Mesa and ALBERTO PUMAREJO of Colombia and Esteban Gil Borges and JOSE SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ of Venezuela.
Venezuela, during the period between 1836-1840, attempted to settle the question of her western border with Colombia after the dissolution of Bolivar's Gran Colombia in 1830, however Venezuela was unable to reach a satistactory resolution. Negotiations with Colombia were long and involved. In 1891, the Colombian border controversy was submitted to Spain for settlement, and in 1898 the results of the Arbitration Award were handed down mostly in Colombia's favor. Venezuela claimed thit the Colombians had unduly influenced the Spanish Queen, Maria Cristina, and that they had evidence of collusion.
Colombia and Venezuela sought additional arbitration; this time with the help of the Swiss government in 1917. Ultimately, an award was handed down in 1922, but it was not until 1932 that the boundary was finally marked. On June 17, 1941, Venezuela and Colombia concluded another border treaty, this time with the intent of demarcating the rivers and waterways between the two nations. After the treaty had been ratified in the Venezuelan Congress, it was alleged that. Colombia was using the treaty to encroach on the Gulf of Venezuela and thus threatening Venezuela's sovereignty.
Venezuelan nationalists were convinced that Venezuela had "lost" valuable territories to Colombia in 1898 and again in 1941 which were a source of national treasure. With the onset of petroleum exploration in the area around the Lago de Maracaibo, it was felt that the territories lost to Colombia and in the Gulf of Venezuela itself, contained valuable oil deposits which were now completely lost to the Venezuelan people.
During the 1960's, another set of border problem arose with Colombia over the oil rich territorial waters of the Gulf of Venezuela. Colombia claimed half of the Gulf of Venezuela on the grounds that the border extended from her portion of the Guajira Peninsula on the western shore of the gulf. Venezuela claimed that the gulf was historically a part of her territorial waters, and asserted that Colombia was aggressively seeking a valuable source of petroleum. Negotiations have been conducted at various times since 1965 but with little progress.
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