Leaders of Guyana and Venezuela to meet this week as region worries over their territorial dispute

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela will meet this week to address an escalating dispute over the Essequibo region that is rich in oil and minerals. Guyana’s president says he is coming to the meeting with goodwill but insists that the case be heard at the International Court of Justice. He will meet Thursday with Venezuela’s president behind closed doors on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. Invited to the talks are leaders including Brazil’s president. The prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines notes that Guyana’s president is coming to the discussion even though Parliament told him not to do it.