Venezuela
Protests As Work On Beal’s Spaceport In Guyana To Begin
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Despite continuing
protests by Venezuela, Guyana expects work on a new spaceport to
launch rockets for Beal Aerospace Technologies Inc. to start within
18 months. Preliminary work such as boundary surveying and soil
tests is already underway. Construction of the site is expected to
create an immediate 500 jobs. The first launch is expected in 2005.
 Venezuela
continues to sharply criticize the agreement, as part of a
long-standing border dispute between the two countries over the
mineral-rich region. Venezuela warned recently that the United
States risked opening "a dangerous breach" in relations by
supporting the proposal to build the spaceport in Guyana's western
Essequibo region. Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, Jose Vicente
Rangel, wrote in El Nacional, a Venezuelan newspaper, “’the last
straw’ was a contract Guyana signed in March with a Frisco,
Texas-based company, Beal Aerospace Technologies, to build a
satellite launching pad there,” saying a formal approval of the
spaceport by the U.S. government would severely damage relations
with Venezuela. “Without a doubt, for nations like the United
States and Venezuela, with a tradition of excellent relations, this
would open a dangerous breach, troublesome for both." He
accused Guyana of a "fearsome disdain" for a 1966
agreement between Venezuela and Great Britain, in which both pledged
good-faith negotiations on the border. The 197,000 square-kilometer
(76,000 square-mile) region accounts for three- fifths of the former
British colony's land mass.
 Guyana
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds remarked, “The government of Guyana
reaffirms its strong opposition to any attempt by Venezuela to
undermine its economy by hindering investment possibilities which
have the potential to contribute significantly to Guyana's national
development efforts. They [Venezuela] have been objecting loudly to
almost anything and everything that has been undertaken or
contemplated for the Essequibo. [This time] they may have some
additional sensitivity about the potential presence of American
quasi-military activities. I want to assure them there is no such
thing. This is a purely commercial space launch.''
Beal
needs an export license from the U.S. State Department to begin
construction of the spaceport. Some “key individuals in the State
Department are expressing some reservations about Beal’s ability
to get the export licenses.” Beal is considering filing a request
for an advisory opinion, which would provide them with an idea of
which way the State Department is leaning on the export license
decision. If the Guyana site falls through, Beal has talked to the
Brazilians about using the spaceport at Alcantara.
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