pending issues, including resolution of the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Venezuela. Relations with Guyana are complicated by Venezuela's claim to roughly three-quarters of Guyana's territory. Since 1987, the two countries held exchanges on the boundary under the "good offices" of the United Nations. The most pressing dispute involves Venezuela's claim to all of Guyana west of the Essequibo River; a maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela is less of a priority. The Chávez administration was making moves to normalize these situations by moving towards repudiating Venezuela's outstanding territorial claims, but said it would review this process after the government of Colombia announced it was considering allowing the US military to build a base on disputed territory near the current Venezuelan border. International Criminal Court In March 2009, Chávez criticized the International Criminal Court for issuing a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Chávez said that the ICC "has no power to make a decision against a sitting president, but does so because it is an African country, the third world." He asked why the ICC didn't order the arrest of George W. Bush or of the President of Israel. See also Latin American integration Cuba–Venezuela relations Iran–Venezuela relations References Bibliography Frisneda, Pedro F. (UPI, 5 April 2005). "Deciphering 'The Chavez Code'". Retrieved 28 October 2005. Golinger, Eva. (2005), The Chavez Code: Deciphering the intervention of the United States in Venezuela, Editorial de Ciencias Sociales Hugo Chávez's address to the UN's 2005 World Summit Hugo Chávez's Speech to the United Nations Parma, Alessandro. (Venezuelanalysis, 24 October 2005). "U.S. Continues to Block Venezuelan Defense Development". Retrieved 28 October 2005. Chavez Calls for Latin American Unity to Ensure the Region's "Freedom" Merco Press, 16 May 2009 Is Venezuela in an Orbit of International Class Struggle? by Franz J. T. Lee, 19 May 2009 Venezuela Chavez says "Comrade" Obama More Left-Wing by Reuters, 2 June 2009 Like Sucre in Ayacucho! - Speech by President Hugo Chávez to the 6th Petrocaribe Summit Venezuelanalysis.com, 19 May 2011, Chávez and the Arab Dictators "The Chavez Legacy" by Stephen J. Randall, Latin American Research Centre, University of Calgary, March 2013 Foreign relations of Venezuela Hugo Chávez Chavez, Hugo