The United Nations Security Council will meet on Monday after the US attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-time autocratic president, Nicolás Maduro, a move that UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls a “dangerous precedent”.
Colombia, backed by Russia and China, requested the 15-member council meet, according to diplomats. The UN Security Council met twice — in October and December — due to escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington will manage Venezuela “until such time as we can make a safe, adequate and judicious transition.” It is unclear how Trump plans to oversee Venezuela.
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“This is a colonial war that aims to destroy our republican form of government, freely chosen by our people, and impose a puppet government that allows the plundering of our natural resources, including the world’s largest oil reserves,” Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada wrote to the UN Security Council on Saturday.
He said the US had violated the founding Charter of the UN, which states: “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.”
The US military action overnight constitutes “a dangerous precedent,” Guterres spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.
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“The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect — by all — for international law, including the UN Charter. He is deeply concerned that the rules of international law are not being respected,” said Dujarric.
For months, the Trump administration has been targeting suspected drug trafficking boats off the Venezuelan coast and the Pacific coast of Latin America. The US has increased its military presence in the region and announced a blockade of all vessels subject to US sanctions, last month intercepting two tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil.
