Guyana says it refuses to bow to Venezuela in dispute over territory rich in oil and minerals

By BERT WILKINSON
Associated Press

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) — The small South American nation of Guyana says it refuses to bow to its larger neighbor Venezuela and the two countries met in the latest chapter of a bitter dispute over an oil- and mineral-rich territory claimed by both. Guyana’s government says that who controls the area called Essequibo ‘is not up for discussion, negotiation or deliberation.’ The statement was issued shortly before Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro met Thursday on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent.