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Leaders of Guyana, Venezuela Set to Meet Amid Border Dispute

by VOA News

   Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will meet Thursday with his
   Guyanese counterpart Mohamed Irfaan Ali amid growing tensions over the
   jurisdiction of the oil-rich Essequibo region.

   The meeting, set to take place on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent,
   was announced following Maduro's talks with prime minister of St.
   Vincent and the Grenadines, and president pro tempore of the Community
   of Latin American and Caribbean States or CELAC, Ralph Gonsalves, as
   well as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday.

   Ali, who agreed to the meeting despite his parliament unanimously
   telling him not to, said that "Guyana's land boundary is not up for
   discussion."

   Disputes over the Essequibo region are longstanding, though the recent
   discovery of offshore oil and gas has caused tensions on the issue to
   flare.

   Earlier this month, Venezuela held a referendum in which voters
   rejected the International Court of Justice's jurisdiction over the
   region and supported the creation of a new Venezuelan state.

   Ali has stated that he will use this meeting not to hold negotiations,
   but rather to insist that the case be heard by the ICJ as originally
   planned.

   Several South American countries released a joint statement in support
   of dialogue between the two countries, as well as Gonsalves, the head
   of CELAC, who said there is "the urgent need to de-escalate the
   conflict and institute an appropriate dialogue."

   The United States, which earlier held joint flight drills with Guyana,
   has maintained its position of support for the country.

   "We reaffirm the United States' unwavering support for Guyana's
   sovereignty," the press office of the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia said.

   Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and
   Reuters.