Credit:  twitter.com/jarreaza /  Venezuela Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC TIMES

Venezuela Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza met privately with U.N. Secretary General António Guterres at his residence in the swank Sutton Place section of mid-Manhattan Monday evening.  Arreaza was supposed to be present at a press briefing at U.N. headquarters that was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. However, the  press briefing was canceled for some unknown reason.  Arreaza was last in the headlines in January  when the U.N.  Security Council held an emergency meeting called by the  United States to address the political crisis  in Venezuela. The Latin American country has been in a whirlpool of political crisis ever since opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president in a bid to oust President Nicholas Maduro. The Trump administration promptly announced it recognized  Guaidó as new interim president of Venezuela.

At the U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in Venezuela Jan. 26, 2019,  Foreign Minister Arreaza Accused the U.S. Of Behind Involved In ‘Coup D’état’  Of  Maduro Government.  Arreaza  charged the Trump administration of following a tradition of American interventionism in Latin America.

“The United States is not behind the coup d’état. It is in advance. It’s in the vanguard of the coup d’état. It is dictating orders, not only to the Venezuelan opposition but also to the satellite governments in the region and, it seems, in Europe and the other parts of the world.”   

Jorge Arreaza, Venezuela’s foreign minister – U.N . Security Council Jan. 26, 2019.

After Monday’s private meeting  held at the U.N. Secretary General’s residence, Arreaza said it was the second reception this year with Guterres,  according to an on-the-scene report by  Inner City Press.   Standing outside of the Secretary General’s house, Arreaza told reporters:

“We were talking about deepening, strengthening the cooperation of the agencies of the the United Nations, the system of the United Nations in Venezuela…with more cooperation, and you know that our economy has been damaged by foreign interventions and of course we have always had the confidence and  the trust in multilateralism, the trust in the system of the United Nations in order to make positive things happen in Venezuela.  That is essentially what we spoke about. We gave him some information about the real picture of Venezuela at the moment. “

Earlier in the day,  in response to questions asked about the Secretary-General’s meeting with Arreaza,   Guterres’ spokesman said:

“The Secretary-General reaffirmed that his offer of good offices to both parties remains available for serious negotiation to help the country out of the present standoff for the benefit of the people of Venezuela.” 

The spokesman said the meeting was made at the request of Arreaza, who represents the government of Nicholas Maduro.  Venezuela faces an economic crisis, including in the form of shortages of foodstuff and medicine.

U.N. Chief Continues Working With Venezuelan Mission To United Nations 

Photo by: Gary Raynaldo /  Permanent Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations  E. 46th Street Manhattan, NY near U.N. headquarters. 

Guterres is still working on a daily basis with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Venezuelan To The U.N. amid the growing political crisis in Venezuela.  Stephane Dujarric, the Gueterres’ spokesperson  told a press briefing  last month that…”the Secretary-General is not in the business of deciding who the head of state of a country (is) and recognizing a government,”  but “we work on an everyday basis through the Permanent Mission of Venezuela, and we continue to do so.”  The Permanent Mission of Venezuela to  the U.N. is located at E.46th Street in Manhattan, a couple blocks from the world body, and remains open.