THE leaders of Guyana and Venezuela promised, in a tense meeting in the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent on Thursday, that neither side would use threats or force against the other.

But both sides failed to reach agreement on how to address a bitter dispute over a vast border region, rich with oil and minerals.

Instead, a joint commission composed of the foreign ministers of both countries and other officials will address the problem, with a report expected within three months.

Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro agreed to meet again in Brazil within three months or at another agreed-upon time, according to an 11-point declaration read at a press briefing late Thursday at which no questions were allowed.

They also agreed to “refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict,” the declaration said.

Tension over the border region of Essequibo has raised worries about a military conflict, though many believe that is unlikely. 

Venezuela insists Essequibo was part of its territory during the Spanish colonial period and argues that a 1966 Geneva agreement among Venezuela, Britain and then-British Guiana, now Guyana, nullified a border drawn in 1899 by international arbitrators.

Neither Mr Ali nor Mr Maduro spoke to journalists after their meeting.