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Chavez: 'Venezuela Will Win' U.N. Security Council Seat NewsMax.com Wires CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez said Venezuela would win a U.N. Security Council seat Monday in a fiercely contested vote that would give his leftist government its biggest platform yet for challenging the United States.
The vote at the U.N. General Assembly will be a key diplomatic test for Chavez, who has toured the world and spread hundreds of millions of petrodollars as he vies for the rotating Security Council seat against U.S.-backed Guatemala.
The United States has said Chavez, whose government has friendly ties with North Korea and Iran, would be a disruptive force on the 15-member Security Council.
Chavez, who says he will be a voice for the Third World, accused Washington of waging "a dirty war" against Venezuela's bid and vowed it would fail.
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"Go forth with the bayonet! Venezuela is going to the Security Council," Chavez said Sunday, encouraging Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations, Francisco Arias Cardenas.
The Venezuelan leader demonstrated his penchant for unabashed anti-American vitriol at the U.N. General Assembly last month, calling President Bush the "devil" in a speech criticized even by U.S. politicians who have reached out to Chavez.
A Security Council seat could give Venezuela concrete opportunities to challenge U.S. foreign policy goals. Chavez has promised to stand by Iran in its efforts to avoid U.N. sanctions over its nuclear program, defending the Islamic country against allegations that it want to build an atomic bomb.
Venezuela and Guatemala both say they have a majority of votes in the 192-member General Assembly. If neither side is able to muster the two-thirds majority, the 33-nation Latin American group could decide to nominate another candidate.
The rotating seat is decided by a secret vote and countries don't have to make known their preference, though much of the Caribbean and South America have voiced support for Venezuela. The 53 African countries are expected to lean toward Venezuela, while Asia's 54 nations appear to be split.
Guatemala has the support of Colombia, apparently most of Central America, Europe and other countries. Guatemalan officials have expressed concern that U.S. campaigning on its behalf has hurt its bid, turning the contest into an America vs. Chavez battle that has sidelined Guatemala.
Venezuela has served four times on the Security Council. Guatemala, emerging from years of brutal U.S.-backed dictatorship, has never had a seat but is a leading contributor of troops to U.N. peacekeeping missions.
In recent months, Chavez has collected pledges of support as he visited about a dozen countries from eastern Europe to Africa. Venezuela's opposition leaders have accused Chavez of squandering millions of dollars on his Security Council campaign while neglecting domestic problems like rampant crime and acute poverty.
Chavez has warned that Washington may attempt to drag out the vote for days, weeks or even years if neither candidate garners the two-thirds majority to win the seat.
The 10 non-permanent seats on the council are filled by the regional groups for two-year stretches. The other five are occupied by the veto-wielding permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Chile will abstain from Monday's vote, presidential spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber said Sunday. He said President Michelle Bachelet decided not to support either candidate.
© 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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