Brazilian President Lula da Silva urged his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro in a phone call on Saturday not to take "unilateral measures" that would exacerbate Venezuela's border dispute with neighboring Guyana, his office said.
"Lula stressed the importance of avoiding unilateral measures that could escalate the situation" in the disputed oil-rich Essequibo region, the Brazilian presidency said in a statement quoted by AFP. It added that Lula had expressed "growing concern" to other South American countries and called for talks to resolve the dispute.
Recently, it has been openly rumored that Venezuela will attack and seize the region in question in the western part of Guyana. According to some comments, Maduro is looking for a military conflict to unite the nation around him before next year's presidential election because he fears he will not win it. /BGNES
