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Venezuela and Guatemala at UN
Vote
The General Assembly will hold
new elections Wednesday to
decide once and for all the
entrance of Venezuela or
Guatemala to the Security
Council, after three days of
unsuccessful voting.
Both countries hope to fill
Argentina's vacant post in that
top organization on December 31
as non-permanent member of the
Security Council for Latin
America and Caribbean.
Peru is in the other post in the
Council corresponding to Latin
America and the Caribbean,
predicted to be vacant by the
end of 2007.
In 35 voting rounds of the
General Assembly last week, none
of the two candidates was able
to achieve two thirds of votes
by the 192 UN members.
Ambassadors of the Latin
American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
at the UN have stated in private
that the stagnation of these
elections is due to the US
reluctance to Venezuela entering
the Security Council.
Washington and its UN envoy,
Ambassador John Bolton, have
pushed for Guatemala's
candidature to try to impede
Venezuela's victory, but at the
same time this has been harmful
for the small Central American
country.
For Guatemalan Foreign Minister
Gert Rosenthal, the US campaign
against Venezuela has not helped
his country's candidature.
On the other hand, Francisco
Arias, Venezuela ambassador,
stated that Washington could not
stop his country even after 35
voting rounds, "in spite of
pressures, impositions and
blackmail."
Until the end of the last voting
round held October 19, Venezuela
and Guatemala remained firm with
their candidatures.
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