Lula urges caution to Maduro amidst escalating Guyana-Venezuela row

In this Feb. 13, 2020 file photo, Brazilian former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrives for a meeting with the Italian Cgil union, in Rome. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for restraint from his counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, on Saturday amid Venezuela's escalating border dispute with neighboring Guyana, as South American leaders nervously monitored the deepening dispute.

Lula, who has maintained close ties with Maduro, issued a clear warning in a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart, according to a statement from his office.

"Lula emphasized the importance of avoiding unilateral measures that could escalate the situation," the Brazilian presidency said.

It said Lula had told Maduro of fellow South American countries' "growing concern," citing a joint declaration Thursday by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay that called for "both parties to negotiate to seek a peaceful solution."

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also called for caution.

"The biggest misfortune that could h it South America would be a war," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Calls for mediation

Guyana has administered Essequibo, which makes up more than two-thirds of its territory, for more than a century.

But Venezuela has claimed it for decades. The row intensified after ExxonMobil discovered oil in Essequibo in 2015, helping give Guyana -- population 800,000 -- the world's biggest crude reserves per capita.

Since last Sunday's referendum, Maduro has taken legal steps to create a Venezuelan province in Essequibo and ordered the state oil company to issue licenses for extracting crude in the region.

The United States meanwhile announced joint military exercises with Guyana, which Venezuela condemned as a "provocation."

The United Nations Security Council held a closed-door meeting Friday on the spiraling dispute, which is the subject of litigation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Lula's office said he had proposed in his conversation with Maduro for the head of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States to contact both sides to set up talks.

Lula has so far kept friendly ties with Maduro, inviting him to a South American summit in May.

But the Essequibo dispute is rife with risk for Brazil, which borders both Guyana and Venezuela.

Brazil has sent army reinforcements to its northern border amid the surge in tension.

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Source: TRT