Venezuela's Maduro pledges to permit oil, mines development in disputed territory

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attends an event at the National Electoral Council (CNE) after voters in a referendum 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, in Caracas, Venezuela, December 4, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

CARACAS/GEORGETOWN (Reuters) -Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday he would authorize oil exploration in an area subject to a dispute with Guyana, which said it would report his comments to the United Nations and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Maduro's pledge to permit development around the Esequibo river came after his government held a referendum over the weekend where voters rejected the ICJ's jurisdiction over the disagreement and backed creating a new state in the territory.