The Venezuelan government asked the UN Security Council on Thursday (16) to investigate recent attacks by the United States against vessels in the Caribbean Sea “and determine their illegal nature”, and to highlight that these and other actions represent a “threat” to peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The request is part of a letter that Venezuela’s permanent representative to the UN (United Nations), Samuel Moncada, sent to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and to the current president of the Security Council and Russian representative, Vasily Nebenzya.
Moncada read part of the document at a press conference on Thursday, explaining that Caracas’ request to the council consists of three points. This occurs after the United States carried out the , claiming to be combating drug trafficking.
At least 27 people died in these attacks. Without providing evidence, the United States claimed they were drug traffickers. In contrast, Venezuela and Colombia stated that some of the vessels were transporting fishermen from their countries without any connection to criminal activities.
On Thursday, the United States held one, officials told CNN.
In this context, Moncada stated that the first point of Venezuela’s request is that the Security Council “investigate the series of murders that the Government of the United States of America has been perpetrating in our region and determine their illegal nature.”
The representative explained that the second point is “to confirm the threat that these illicit actions pose to the preservation of peace in Latin America and the Caribbean, including extrajudicial executions, the increase in military forces, bellicose rhetoric against Venezuela and clandestine CIA operations.”
This last aspect alludes to the fact that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Wednesday (15) that – according to him – stop the flow of drugs and undocumented immigrants to the USA.
Finally, the third point of Venezuela’s request is that the Security Council issue “a declaration reaffirming the principle of unrestricted respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Venezuela as an indispensable basis for the preservation of peace”.
A CNN has contacted the UN Secretary General’s office, the President of the Security Council, and the US Department of State for comment and is awaiting a response.
Venezuela’s request to the United Nations is the latest development in growing tensions between the South American country and the United States since September, when the Trump administration sent warships under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
This mobilization was followed by attacks on vessels in the region and, this week, by Trump’s announcement that and will include authorization for the CIA to operate inside Venezuela.
In the country, the regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro minimized these US actions and described them as a threat to the country’s sovereignty.
On Wednesday, at a public event, Maduro stated that the United States wants to act against him, declaring: “… no to CIA coups… Latin America does not want them, does not need them and repudiates them.”
