US Military Action Against Venezuela Lacks Respect For International Law: UN Chief Antonio Guterres

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced deep concern over the lack of respect for international law in the U.S. military action against Venezuela on Saturday. 

Guterres expressed his concerns in a statement read out on his behalf by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo at an emergency meeting of the Security Council convened at the UN headquarters in New York following the U.S. assault on Venezuela and its forcible seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. 

The government of Venezuela has characterized the United States action as a military aggression carried out in civilian and military areas, and as a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, posing a threat to international and regional peace and security, the UN chief said in the statement. 

"I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted," he said in the statement read out by DiCarlo. 

Noting Venezuela has experienced decades of internal instability and social and economic turmoil, Guterres noted that the situation is critical, but it is still possible to prevent a wider and more destructive conflagration. 

"I remain deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the January 3 military action. The Charter enshrines the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. The maintenance of international peace and security depends on the continued commitment of all member states to adhere to all the provisions of the Charter," he said. 

Guterres called for efforts aimed at assisting Venezuelans in finding a peaceful way forward. 

"I call on all Venezuelan actors to engage in an inclusive, democratic dialogue in which all sectors of society can determine their future. I also urge Venezuela's neighbors, and the international community more broadly, to act in a spirit of solidarity and in adherence to the principles, laws and rules erected to promote peaceful coexistence," he said. 

The UN chief urged respect for the UN Charter and all other applicable legal frameworks to safeguard peace and security, respect for the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of States, and prohibition of the threat or use of force.

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