Venezuela urges action from UN Security Council following US strikes

Speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council convened following the U.S. strikes, Moncada said that Venezuela urges the Security Council to fully assume its responsibility and act in accordance with the mandate conferred on it by the UN Charter.

In that regard, Venezuela requests that the government of the United States of America be demanded to fully respect the immunities of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, as well as their immediate release and safe return to Venezuela, said the ambassador.

Maduro and his wife were forcibly removed from Venezuela and brought to the United States on January 3.

Moncada demanded that the use of force against Venezuela be clearly and unequivocally condemned by the Security Council, and that the principle of non-acquisition of territory or resources by force be reaffirmed.

"Venezuela is the victim of these attacks because of its natural resources. Our country's oil, energy, strategic resources and geopolitical position have historically been factors of greed and external pressure. When force is used to control resources, impose governments or redesign states, we are faced with a logic that harks back to the worst practices of colonialism and neocolonialism. Accepting such a logic would mean to open the door to a deeply unstable world, in which countries with greater military capacities can decide by force the political and economic destinies of other states," Moncada said.

This scenario not only threatens Venezuela, but also threatens international peace and security as a whole, he added.

Moncada also called for measures aimed at de-escalation, the protection of the civilian population, and the restoration of international law.

Venezuela comes before this Council today with a deep conviction that international peace can only be sustained if international law is respected without exception, without double standards, and without selective interpretations, said Moncada.

He said that the military action against Venezuela constitutes a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, in particular, the violation of the principle of sovereign equality of states, of the prohibition of threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, and of the duty to settle disputes by peaceful means.

The U.S. move also seriously violates the Geneva Conventions and Protocols, the ambassador said.

"Allowing such acts to go without an effective answer would amount to normalizing the replacement of law by might while eroding the very foundations of the collective security system. Today, it is not only Venezuela's sovereignty that is at stake. The credibility of international law, the authority of this Organization and the validity of the principle that no State can set itself up as judge, party and executor of the world order are also at stake," Moncada said.

If the kidnapping of a head of state, the bombing of a sovereign country, and the open threat of further armed action are tolerated or downplayed, the message sent to the world is a devastating one, namely that law is optional, and that force is the true arbiter of international relations, Moncada warned.

The ambassador emphasized that Venezuela's institutions are functioning normally, that the constitutional order has been preserved, and that the state exercises effective control of all its territory.