US: Venezuela-Guyana Dispute Can't be Settled by Referendum

The United States supports a peaceful resolution to the border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana and thinks it cannot be settled through a referendum, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told reporters on Monday.

"This is not something that will be settled by a referendum," the State Department spokesperson added.

Voters in Venezuela rejected the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) jurisdiction over the country's territorial dispute with Guyana and backed the creation of a new state in the potential oil-rich Esequibo region in a Sunday referendum.