- The UN Security Council meets before Maduro’s trial.
- Colombia calls the US a violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty.
- Guterres says ready to support Venezuela in finding peace.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern on Monday about a 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 UN headquarters in New York, hours before Maduro was due to appear in federal court in Manhattan on narcotics charges, including a narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied any criminal involvement.
“I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region and the precedent it could set for how relations between and among states are conducted,” Guterres said in a statement delivered to the council by UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo.
Guterres called on all Venezuelan actors to engage in an inclusive and democratic dialogue, adding: “I welcome and am ready to support all efforts aimed at helping Venezuelans find a peaceful way 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 clear violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity.
“There is no justification whatsoever, under any circumstances, for the unilateral use of force to commit an act of aggression,” Colombian UN Ambassador Leonor Zalabata Torres told the council.
“Such actions constitute a serious violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.”
Legal experts have said the US operation was illegal because it lacked authorization from the UN Security Council, did not have Venezuelan consent and did not constitute self-defense against an armed attack.
But the United States cannot be held responsible for any violation by the UN Security Council, which is tasked with maintaining international peace and security. The US has a veto – along with Russia, China, Britain and France – so it can block any action.
The founding Charter of the United Nations 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.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz on Sunday cited Article 51 of the UN Charter, which states that nothing “shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense in the event of an armed attack against a member of the United Nations.”
Trump has threatened another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate in opening up its oil industry and stopping the flow of narcotics. Trump also threatened Colombia and Mexico, saying Cuba’s communist government “appears ready to fall.”
