Guyana's President, David Granger and the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Sunday evening held talks in New York under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon.

Granger was expected to insist that the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy be sent to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final settlement.

Guyana insists that the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award represents a full, final and perfect settlement of the land boundary between the two neighbouring South American countries.

Tensions between Guyana and Venezuela have soared in recent months ever since American oil company, Exxon-Mobil, discovered a huge deposit offshore Essequibo, a mineral and forest ich region that Venezuela claims as hers.

Caracas has since issued a decree, including the waters offshore Essequibo as part of its military defence zone, refused to approve Cheryl Miles as Guyana's Ambassador to Venezuela, recalled its Ambassador from Georgetown and deployed men, missiles and gunboats near the border.

Venezuela has since scaled back its military presence there, ahead of the talks between Granger, Maduro and the UN Chief.