Skip to main content

Venezuela wins UN security council seat

VENEZUELANS celebrated today after their country won one of the non-permanent seats on the United Nations security council.

President Nicolas Maduro said the win was a sign of international support for the legacy of his predecessor Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian revolution transforming the lives of millions of Venezuelans.

“The entire world, regardless of their ideology, knows what’s happening in Venezuela,” he declared.

Chavez’s daughter Maria Gabriela will be working with the security council as Caracas’s deputy ambassador to the UN.

Venezuela’s successful bid for the seat is a sign of South American solidarity, with other countries from the continent refusing to compete for the Latin America and Caribbean slot.

It was a stark contrast to Chavez’s attempt to go for a security council seat in 2006, when the United States was able to manipulate South American rivalries to torpedo the campaign.

The shift in regional politics was obvious earlier this year when the US tried to take advantage of violent uprisings orchestrated by Venezuela’s far right but met a wall of resistance from Latin American leaders determined to stand by the country’s elected government.

Washington evinced sour grapes after the news broke. “Unfortunately Venezuela’s conduct at the UN has run counter to the spirit of the UN Charter,” US ambassador Samantha Power announced.

The statement was met with disbelief, coming from a country which has repeatedly ignored international law to launch illegal invasions and bombing raids around the world and shamelessly used its veto to protect Israel from censure over its war crimes and occupation of Palestinian land.

And Venezuelan Foreign Minister Rafael Ramirez noted that the “overwhelming” win — backed by 181 of 182 valid ballots cast for the seat at the UN general assembly — was evidence of international support for Caracas’s defence of “the free will of the country” against bids to undermine its revolution.

“It has been demonstrated that this organisation of international states belongs to all countries,” he said.

Angola, New Zealand, Spain and Malaysia were also elected to the security council on Thursday night. Turkey narrowly lost its bid to get a seat — a defeat rumoured to be down to its refusal to assist efforts to defeat the Islamic State terror movement.

OWNED BY OUR READERS

We're a reader-owned co-operative, which means you can become part of the paper too by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society.

 

 

Become a supporter

Fighting fund

You've Raised:£ 13,288
We need:£ 4,712
3 Days remaining
Donate today