“The United States does not stand behind the coup d'état, they head it”: how was the UN Security Council meeting on Venezuela

The countries of the UN Security Council failed to agree on a joint statement on the situation in Venezuela due to the unconstructive position of the United States. Such a statement was made by Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, in response to the fact that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Moscow of blocking the adoption of this statement.

“I would like to correct the Secretary of State Pompeo: we have blocked the presidential statement proposed by the United States. We made constructive amendments to it, which, we are convinced, would be unconditionally supported by the majority of Council members, some have already done so, ”noted Nebenzia.

At the same time, according to him, the Russian delegation is “not sure” that the amended statement based on weighted estimates and confirming the sovereignty of Venezuela is “this is what the US delegation is seeking.”

It should be noted that before the beginning of the Security Council meeting, the Russian Permanent Representative proposed to abandon the agenda proposed by the US “Situation in Venezuela”, replacing it with the consideration of the agenda “Intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela”. In his opening remarks, Nebenzia stressed that the internal situation in Venezuela does not pose any external threats to peace and security in the region. On the contrary, according to the Permanent Representative, it is Venezuela that is threatened by the actions of the United States and its allies, who openly support the opposition forces.

“If anything is a threat to the world, it is shameless and aggressive actions by the United States and its allies aimed at overthrowing the legitimately elected president of Venezuela. In fact, we are witnessing unceremoniously, in violation of all the norms of international law, Washington is trying to carry out a coup in this country, ”said Nebenzya.

However, the majority of Security Council members finally voted for the agenda of the meeting proposed by Washington. Of the 15 representatives of the countries - members of the Security Council, nine were in favor of its approval, four - against (Russia, China, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea), and two more permanent representatives abstained from voting.

During his speech in the Security Council, the Russian diplomat also demanded from the head of the US Department of State a clear answer to the question whether Washington is ready to use military force against a sovereign state in violation of the United Nations Charter.

“There are transparent hints of the use of force in the form of arguments about“ all the options on the table ”... Using the presence of Mr. Pompeo, we want to ask him directly: does this mean that the US is ready to use military force against a sovereign state under a far-fetched pretext? It is here, in this hall, that there should be a frank answer: is Washington going to once again violate the UN Charter? ”Stressed Nebenzya.

Similar questions were asked by Pompeo after he left the Security Council meeting room. However, the US Secretary of State went away from answering these questions: “They relate to what the US will do next. I will not speculate or hypothesize. I only know that we are determined to support the Venezuelan people. ”

At the same time, during his speech at the Security Council of Pompeo, he called on all states of the world to “choose the side” that they would take in the situation around the political crisis in Venezuela.

“It's time for other countries to choose a side. No more delay, no more games. Or you together with freedom forces, or you in the union with Maduro and its chaos, - Pompeo declared. - Russia decided to support Maduro, and I hope that they will change the position. We will conduct a dialogue with each country, including Russia and China. ”

In turn, the permanent representative of China to the United Nations, Ma Zhaoxu, stressed that in Beijing they oppose any external interference in the affairs of Venezuela, adding that the situation in the Bolivarian Republic does not pose a threat to international peace and security.

“Maintaining stability in Venezuela and its development serves the interests of all parties,” the diplomat said, adding that internal problems should and can be solved only by the people of this country.

At the same time, the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Jorge Arreas, who spoke at the Security Council’s emergency meeting, stressed that the republic’s leadership was ready for dialogue with the international community, including the administration of US President Donald Trump. However, Arreas noted that the Security Council should discuss not so much the situation in Venezuela as “gross mechanisms of US interference in its internal affairs.”

“It is necessary to study and punish those who are behind this coup. And there is enough evidence ... This time, the United States does not stand behind the coup d'état, they are heading it, ”said Arreas.

At the same time, the Venezuelan foreign minister recalled that the authorities had repeatedly tried to establish contact with the United States since the election of the head of state, Hugo Chávez, in 1999. However, all such efforts were blocked by the American side.

The minister added that the European countries running in the wake of Washington have no right to give any ultimatums to Karakas, including regarding the timing of the presidential elections in the country.

“What makes you think that you can put forward ultimatums to the sovereign people and set deadlines?” Noted Arreas.

According to the Director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, Yuri Rogulyov, in bringing such an agenda to a meeting of the UN Security Council, Washington pursued well-defined goals. Speech in this case is about trying to legitimize their intervention in the internal politics of Venezuela.

“If the United States continues unilaterally, on its own initiative, to manage some affairs in Venezuela, this will be called intervention. If they are approved by the Security Council, these will be actions aimed at implementing the decision of the collective body of the UN. This is an attempt to legitimize their intervention, ”the RT expert said.

In turn, the chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada, Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Economics Vladimir Vasilyev also stated that the United States intends to isolate the regime of Nicolas Maduro. And for this they are trying to persuade their allies to vote for the recognition of the incumbent president of Venezuela as an illegitimate president, which could untie their hands for further action.

“Theoretically, recognizing the illegitimate Maduro and his regime opens up many opportunities for the United States. So far, and without these resolutions, they can resort to economic sanctions. But the main thing for Americans is to untie their hands as the Venezuelan crisis develops, ”said Vasilyev.

At the same time, the expert added that an important role in the current situation will be played by the right of veto, which can be imposed on a particular resolution in the UN Security Council.

"And here comes the chorus"

We add that the UN Security Council meeting took place literally several hours after the authorities of Germany, France, Spain and the UK issued an ultimatum to the current President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. He was urged to announce the early presidential election as soon as possible. Otherwise, in Berlin, Paris, Madrid and London, they intend to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim head of state.

“The people of Venezuela must freely and securely decide their future. If the elections are not announced within eight days, we will be ready to recognize Juan Guaido as interim president who initiates such a political process, ”said Martin Fitz, a representative of the Cabinet of Ministers of Germany.

Das Volk Venezuelas muss frei u. in Sicherheit über seine Zukunft entscheiden können. Werden nicht binnen 8 Tagen Wahlen angekündigt, sind wir bereit, Juan Guaidó als Interimspräsidenten anzuerkennen, der einen solchen polit. Prozess einleitet; arbeiten eng mit europ. Partnern.

A similar statement in his Twitter account was made by the French leader Emmanuel Macron, who noted that the French authorities are working on this issue with their European partners.

Le peuple vénézuélien doit pouvoir décider librement de son avenir. Sans élections annoncées d'ici 8 jours, nous serons prêts à reconnaître @jguaido comme “Président en charge” du Venezuela pour enclencher un processus politique. Nous y travaillons entre partenaires européens.

“The Venezuelan people should be able to freely determine their future. If the elections are not announced within eight days, we will be ready to recognize the Guaido as “interim president” in order to start the political process, ”wrote Macron.

In his turn, during the televised address, the chairman of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, also gave the Venezuelan authorities eight days to "announce the holding of fair, free and transparent elections." The head of the Cabinet noted that Venezuela "has been experiencing a political, democratic, economic and humanitarian crisis for a long time."

“Spain will always be with Venezuela, with the free American community. We do not seek to establish or remove governments. We want democracy and free elections in Venezuela, ”Sanchez added.

Later, these statements were joined by the British authorities. Thus, the head of the Foreign Ministry of the United Kingdom, Jeremy Hunt, accused the Venezuelan authorities of the fact that the presidential elections in May 2018 allegedly took place with serious violations, which means that Maudro “is not the legitimate leader” of the country. Hunt also announced London’s intention to recognize Juan Guaiido as interim president who would “push the political process toward democracy.”

2/2 @jguaido Venezuela forward. If you are not in the United States, you’ll recognize that there will be a decree. Venezuela

Even later, already during the UN Security Council meeting, a number of other EU countries, as well as the head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini, joined the demands put forward by the Venezuelan authorities.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the synchronicity with which the European capitals sounded ultimatum demands on the legal authorities of Venezuela.

“The synchronicity and direction of these“ stuffing ”attracted attention a few hours before the United States convened a discussion of the situation in Venezuela in the UN Security Council,” the ministry’s commentary says.

“Behind all this, the“ wand ”of Washington is clearly visible,” the Foreign Ministry stressed.

They stated that what is happening only intensifies the internal political situation in Venezuela, and the artificial warming up of the situation from the outside stimulates the most radical sentiments within the Bolivarian Republic.

The ministry called for an end to cynical and overt interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. In addition, Moscow reaffirmed its readiness to contribute to the process of political settlement in Venezuela.

Earlier, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, also commented on the statements made from European capitals: “And here comes the chorus ... Statements are made not only identical, but even at the same time,” Zakharova wrote on Facebook.

"Cynical Demonstration of Double Standards"

According to Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the statements made from European capitals were synchronized with the United States, which is the main architect of an attempt to change the regime in Venezuela.

“Just yesterday, the US special envoy for Venezuela, Elliot Abrams, was appointed, a very prominent figure. It can be said that he was preparing the ground for the US invasion of Iraq, ”the expert reminded.

At the same time, the interlocutor of RT noted that the formation of some kind of unified line of the West on certain issues is observed when European countries have no direct interests in a particular region, which means that it is possible to politically support the US authorities.

“It is clear that France acts with an eye on America. One thing is “yellow vests”, it is their internal affairs, and another thing is to support the USA. Just like Germany and Spain. Here, in such matters, a certain single line of the West appears. On other issues, the West usually has discrepancies among themselves, ”added Blokhin.

In turn, a member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia, Bogdan Bezpalko, in a conversation with RT stated that such simultaneous actions demonstrate the lack of independence of a number of countries in global foreign policy and vividly demonstrate double standards of diplomacy.

“Guaido is not the result of popular elections or some kind of legislative process, it’s just an impostor, who was immediately recognized as the person responsible for the whole country in South America,” the expert emphasized.

“Mr. Macron would like to remind that it is very strange to support the protesters in other countries, but at the same time oppose the protesters in their own country. This is a frank, cynical and brazen demonstration of double standards. In this situation, the brazenness of this kind of statements is overwhelming, ”concluded Bezpalko.