The United Nations Security Council convened a rare meeting focused on the United States on Friday to discuss the Trump administration’s recent military strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean, and the risks these actions posed to regional stability.
Though the meeting itself was noteworthy — the council seldom holds meetings on the conduct of the United States, a permanent member — the 15 members of the council were hardly unanimous in support for Venezuela’s government or in open condemnation of the United States.
President Trump recently told Congress that his administration had determined the United States is in a war with drug cartels and that, therefore, people crewing boats suspected of drug smuggling are “unlawful combatants.” That idea that has been sharply contested by a range of legal specialists in laws governing the use of military force.
Russia and China sharply criticized the United States on Friday, saying its actions violated international law and violated the sovereignty of Venezuela.
But other diplomats — from European and African countries, as well as from Guyana, a South American member of the council — crafted their words carefully, avoiding direct denunciation of the Trump administration. They instead spoke in general terms about the need to engage diplomatically and conduct all actions against drug cartels within the boundaries of international laws and the U.N. charter.
The meeting was requested by Venezuela, which said in a letter to the presidency of the council that Washington’s recent attacks on the boats were part of a larger threat “against the territorial integrity and political independence of our nation.” Venezuela also accused Mr. Trump of seeking to topple the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
The meeting coincided with the announcement that María Corina Machado, a leading Venezuelan opposition figure, had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for working to bring democratic change to her country through peaceful activism. Several council members congratulated Ms. Machado in their speeches. The United States did not.
Posted by John3262005