United Nations – Guatemala failed repeatedly to muster the necessary votes to beat out Venezuela for a Latin American seat on the U.N. Security Council, prompting diplomats on Tuesday to demand a compromise candidate.
Both have so far refused, and the U.N. General Assembly scheduled yet more rounds of voting on Thursday by its 192 member nations.
That gave Latin American nations a day to find a solution.
In the 22nd round of voting, Guatemala garnered 102 votes to Venezuela’s 77. Guatemala’s result, similar to that of many of the previous rounds during the past two days, was 23 votes short of the two-thirds needed to win, and it now appeared that neither nation would be able to bridge the gap.
“It’s obvious that the General Assembly is sharply divided, and we are facing a deadlock in this election,” said the Arab League’s U.N. representative Yahya Mahmassani. “We look forward to the group of Latin American and Caribbean states to find a solution to this impasse, with the acquiescence and acceptance of the two candidates.”
Yet neither Venezuela nor Guatemala appeared willing to drop out of the election.
Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Francisco Arias Cardenas complained that the United States pressed countries worldwide to prevent Venezuela from winning a seat on the 15-nation council.
“We are fighting against the first power of the world, the owners of the universe,” Arias Cardenas said. “We’re happy, we’re strong and we will continue.”
Roy Chaderton, the Venezuelan diplomat who played a key role in his country’s campaign for the seat, said the results were only a minor setback in the long struggle against U.S. efforts to dominate international affairs.
The results were seen as a setback for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who lobbied hard around the world, offering millions of dollars in aid.
