United Nations, Nov 14 (AFP) US Ambassador Nikki Haleyhas slammed Venezuela as an "increasingly violent narco-state"that poses a threat to world security at a UN meetingboycotted by Russia and China.
Haley said the informal Security Council meeting was todraw international attention to the political and economiccrisis in Venezuela, which is teetering on the brink ofdefault.
But key Security Council members Russia and China refusedto attend as did Bolivia, a non-permanent council member closeto President Nicolas Maduro's government, and Egypt.
Addressing the meeting, Haley said "the situation inVenezuela is more than a human tragedy," adding that thecrisis "poses a direct threat to international peace andsecurity.""Venezuela is an increasingly violent narco-state thatthreatens the region, the hemisphere and the world," she said.
Addressing reporters outside of the meeting hall, theambassadors of Russia, China and Bolivia joined Venezuela's UNenvoy, who declared the meeting "illegal" and a violation ofthe UN charter.
"This is a hostile act by the United States and clearlyan act of interference," said Venezuela's Ambassador RafaelRamirez.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the US-led talksamounted to "meddling in the domestic affairs of Venezuela"and declared that the Security Council should not becomeinvolved.
The refusal by Russia and China to attend the meetingmeant that the United States would face strong opposition inpushing for council action to address the crisis in Venezuela.
Venezuela has been in turmoil since anti-governmentprotests in April left more than 100 dead as the country reelsfrom shortages of food and medicine.
Yesterday, the Caracas government was meeting withcredits in a bid to stave off a default from $150 billion indebt.
Over 600,000 Venezuelans have moved across borders in theregion this year alone, citing fears of crime, repression andfood insecurity, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ZeidRa'ad Al Hussein told the meeting.
"If no steps are taken to confront the serious humanrights violations in Venezuela, I am very much concerned aboutthe negative destabilising effect it could have on the regionas a whole," he said.
Haley said the fact that Venezuela had exerted pressureon council members not to attend the meeting was "proof" of"guilt." (AFP)AJR.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.