- The UN Security Council meets before Maduro’s court appearance.
- Colombia calls US violating Venezuela’s sovereignty.
- Guterres says he is ready to help Venezuela find peace.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday raised concerns about possible intensification of instability in Venezuela following the US capture of the Latin American country’s President, Nicolas Maduro.
The 15-member Security Council met at U.N. headquarters in New York just hours before Maduro was due to appear in Manhattan federal court on drug charges, including narcoterrorist plotting. Maduro has denied any criminal involvement.
“I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, its potential impact on the region and the precedent this could set in the way interstate relations are conducted,” Guterres said in a statement delivered to the Council by the UN political affairs chief, Rosemary DiCarlo.
Guterres called on all Venezuelan actors to engage in inclusive and democratic dialogue, adding: “I welcome and am ready to support all efforts to help Venezuelans find a peaceful path forward.” »
He also expressed concern that the US operation to capture Maduro in Caracas on Saturday did not respect the rules of international law.
“Act of aggression”
Colombia, which requested Monday’s meeting, condemned the US operation as a blatant violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity.
“There is no justification, whatever the circumstances, for the unilateral use of force to commit an act of aggression,” Colombian Ambassador to the UN Leonor Zalabata Torres told the Council.
“Such actions constitute a serious violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.”
Legal experts said the U.S. operation was illegal because it did not have authorization from the U.N. Security Council, did not have Venezuela’s consent and did not constitute self-defense against an armed attack.
But the United States cannot be held responsible for any violations by the UN Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. The United States has a veto – alongside Russia, China, Britain and France – to be able to block any action.
The founding Charter of the UN states that members “shall refrain, in their international relations, from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.” There are currently 193 members of the United Nations.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz on Sunday cited Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, which states that nothing “shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense in the event of an armed attack against any member of the United Nations.”
Trump has threatened to launch a new strike if Venezuela does not cooperate to open its oil industry and stop the flow of drugs. Trump also threatened Colombia and Mexico, and said Cuba’s communist government “seems ready to fall.”
