US, Guyana denounce Venezuelan naval incursion

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GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The United States on Saturday denounced what it said were Venezuelan naval vessels "threatening" an ExxonMobil unit in maritime territory claimed by Guyana.

The statement came hours after Guyana President Irfaan Ali said a Venezuelan patrol boat had entered "exclusive" Guyanese waters around 7 a.m. local time.

Guyana had "put its international partners on alert," he said on Facebook.

The U.S. warned against any further encroachment.

"Venezuelan naval vessels threatening ExxonMobil's floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit is unacceptable and a clear violation of Guyana's internationally recognized maritime territory," said the statement from the U.S. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

"Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime," it added.

Guyana and Venezuela have seen heightened tensions over control of the disputed Essequibo territory, a sprawling region rich in natural resources.

Tensions flared in 2015 when petroleum giant ExxonMobil discovered deposits that gave Guyana, a country of just 800,000 people and with a tiny military, the largest crude oil reserves in the world.

Ali, whose country is closely allied to the U.S., said on Facebook that the floating production vessels were "operating legally within Guyana's exclusive economic zone."

Venezuela's armed forces have not commented.

Soldiers wounded

Tensions were fanned on Feb. 17 when Guyana said six of its soldiers were wounded when a supply transport was ambushed, allegedly by members of a Venezuelan criminal gang.

That happened on the anniversary of the signing of a 1966 agreement between Venezuela and Britain, reached before Guyanese independence, that called for a negotiated solution to the territorial dispute.

But Guyana has insisted that an 1899 ruling had fixed the disputed border in its favor.

Last December, Britain sent the patrol ship HMS Trent on a port visit to Guyana capital Georgetown, a gesture deemed a "provocation and threat by the United Kingdom" by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela then launched a major military exercise in the border region, including more than 5,600 soldiers, fighter jets and patrol boats.

Ali and Maduro met in December in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and agreed to avoid any use of force.

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