Mexico City, Mexico, September 24, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – President Nicolás Maduro addressed US-based destabilization efforts against Venezuela in a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General António Guterres ahead of the global organization’s 79th General Assembly.
According to a statement provided by the government, Maduro told Guterres on Friday that the “destabilization attempts and conspiracies promoted from US territory” were “flagrantly violating international law and the United Nations Charter.”
Caracas recently blasted Washington’s “total disdain for international law” following the imposition of new individual sanctions against high-ranking Venezuelan officials.
In his phone call, the Venezuelan president further warned the UN chief of the potential for additional “external aggression” against his country, including serious accusations such as the hiring of mercenaries to carry out assassination attempts.
Last week, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello reported the arrest of several foreigners, including a US Navy SEAL, who are accused of plotting to kill President Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials.
Maduro’s comments likewise referenced an effort led by notorious mercenary contractor Erik Prince who earlier this month launched a crowdfunding campaign promoting regime change in Venezuela. On Tuesday, Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced that his office had opened a criminal probe into the campaign, known as “Ya Casi Venezuela”, accusing supporters of being accomplices.
The US-backed hardline opposition bloc led by María Corina Machado has insisted the July 28 presidential election was fraudulent and that their candidate, Edmundo González, was the winner. González fled the country for Spain earlier this month.
Guterres, for his part, reportedly expressed concern over the post-electoral situation after the Venezuelan president was declared the winner of a third six-year term. The UN chief called for a “genuine and inclusive dialogue” in order to peacefully settle the dispute. Guterres also emphasized the UN’s rejection of regime change anywhere in the world and rejected all efforts by states to intervene in other nations’ internal affairs.
The pair agreed to maintain a high-level dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the office of the secretary general.
The UN has come under renewed pressure to intervene in Venezuela following the opposition’s fraud claims and accusations of human rights violations in the country. Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay and Uruguay joined Washington’s efforts and recently called on the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to investigate the alleged abuses.
Venezuelan authorities condemned a recent report presented before the Human Rights Council by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, charging that it was drafted by a “illegitimate, politicized, and ideologized mission.”
The Maduro government has long opposed the work of the Fact-Finding Mission, accusing it of bias and flawed methodology, as well as being linked to the now defunct Lima Group, the coalition of US-allied countries that sought to diplomatically isolate the government and promote regime change in Venezuela.
Due to its objections to the mandate and work of the Mission, Caracas has opted not to facilitate the participation of the Mission’s members inside the country. As a result, the conclusions drawn by its members are just the product of interviews with people outside Venezuela or via telephone and messaging services.
Likewise, Venezuelan human rights advocacy groups active in the country have questioned the repeated renewal of the mission. Since 2019, the mission has been continually extended, had its mandate expanded in specific ways, and has enjoyed ample financial support.
In February, the Venezuelan government ordered the shuttering of the local office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) due to the “inappropriate role” the body has played by requesting impunity for individuals reportedly involved in violent coup attempts.
Nonetheless, Maduro and Foreign Minister Yvan Gil held a “cordial” meeting with UN’s coordinator in Venezuela, Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, where the president handed over evidence of destabilization efforts against his government.
Gil is in New York this week to represent Venezuela at the UN General Assembly where he will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts.
Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Lisbon, Portugal.
