Photo Credit: By Gary Raynaldo /  United Nations  Headquarters In New York City

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC   TIMES

A U.S. draft resolution calling on the UN Security Council to call for free and fair presidential elections in Venezuela went down in defeat Thursday by a veto by Russian and China.  And so did a competing Russia draft resolution on Venezuela  as it was unable to muster enough votes.  The U.S. draft also called for a recognition of self-proclaimed interim President Guaidó.  The Russia draft urged the settlement of the current situation through peaceful means and supports all initiatives aimed at reaching a political solution among Venezuelans.  The U.S. , which considers opposition leader Guaidó Venezuela’s legitimate president,  and Russia, which backs President Nicolas Maduro, brought forward two competing draft resolutions before the Security Council.  It was the third Council meeting on this issue in just over a month as a result of the escalation of the political crisis. Both the US and Russia think they know what is best to resolve the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Sort of like your father knows best?! The US draft resolution was able to garner the minimum nine votes, which then forced Russia and China to cast vetoes. South Africa also voted against the US draft; Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Indonesia abstained. The Security Council members have been sharply divided between those who recognise Guaidó’s self-proclaimed presidency,  and those supporting  President Maduro. The  Trump Administration brought in its ‘big gun’,  U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, who  called on the members of the Security Council yesterday to “pressure the illegitimate regime to peacefully step down.”  The UN has continued dialogue with President Maduro’s diplomatic representatives despite U.S. pressure that it recognize opposition leader Guaidó who proclaimed himself as Venezuela president Jan. 23, 2019 in a bid to oust Maduro. 

Meanwhile, Russia’s top diplomat at the UN,  Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia told the UN Security Council that if the US really wanted to help the Venezuelan people, it would have operated through UN agencies. Nebenzia stated that  Russian  successfully delivered 7.5 tonnes of medical goods through the World Health Organization (WHO), without any obstacles.