Irfaan Ali

Haiti's prime minister agreed late Monday to step aside as armed gangs plunge his country into anarchy, as he accepted a regional push for a transition that sets the stage for international intervention.

The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana pledged after direct talks on Thursday not to resort to force to settle a long-simmering — and recently reheated — territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region, a joint statement said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday that he views US military support of neighboring Guyana as a threat to resolving his nation's territorial claim there, and will bring it up in talks this week with his counterpart.

Maduro will meet Guyana President Irfaan Ali on Thursday in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency closed meeting Friday at the request of Guyana following Venezuela's weekend referendum claiming the vast oil- and mineral-rich Essequibo region that makes up a large part of its neighbor.