supposedly would oversee a resource-rich region in neighboring Guyana that both nations claim as their own. The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a statement underscored its historical position to not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and asserted that international law does not allow the body to "interfere" or "attempt to prohibit" an election. The government's statement came a day after the court, based in The Hague, issued the ruling at the request of Guyana, which accused Venezuela of violating an earlier order by planning to hold elections May 25 for a governor and other officials to administer the Essequibo region.

The Essequibo "is an inalienable part of the Venezuelan territory and a legacy of our liberators," according to the statement. "Its defense is a historical, constitutional, and a moral mandate that unites the entire Bolivarian Homeland. No international pressure, judicial blackmail, or foreign tribunal will make us back down from this conviction."

The area under dispute represents two-thirds of Guyana and is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. It also is located close to massive offshore oil deposits, with current production averaging some 650,000 barrels per day.

Venezuela has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period. It has long dismissed the border drawn by international arbitrators in 1899, when Guyana was still a British colony. (Jamaica Gleaner)