Guyana to seek court intervention in border dispute

The leader of the South American country of Guyana said Saturday that he will seek intervention from the International Court of Justice to help settle a border dispute with neighbouring Venezuela.

President David Granger said he plans to tell the United Nations General Assembly in an address next week that he no longer wants the dispute handled by a UN mediator.

"We will be going to court," he said. "We are not interested any longer in any sterile, good officer process."

The announcement comes just days after Venezuela said it was suspending the application process for Guyana's new ambassador.

Venezuela long has insisted that it owns two-thirds of Guyana, including a large marine area where Exxon Mobil Corp said it had made a significant oil discovery.

Venezuela also has refused to buy large rice shipments from Guyana in exchange for oil supplies, turning away Guyanese vessels that have docked in the country's ports to collect supplies. Guyana as a result recently announced it would buy all its oil from Trinidad & Tobago.