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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Hugo fails to gain |
| 2006-10-16 |
| Venezuela President Hugo Chavez suffered an embarrassing defeat Monday at the United Nations, where the General Assembly failed to give his county the necessary votes for a coveted seat on the Security Council. Guatemala topped Venezuela in the first four rounds of voting, but it too failed to get the necessary two-thirds majority to win a two-year term on the decision-making body. Venezuela's U.N. envoy vowed not to give up the fight. "We are going to continue and we are going to call on countries of dignity, strength, independence and autonomy, which is what the United Nations needs right now," Ambassador Francisco Arias Cardenas told state television in an interview from the U.N. Chavez, who had waged a highly public campaign — including spending millions of petro-dollars to win support — accused the U.S. of waging a "dirty war" to defeat Venezuela's candidacy. "Go forth with the bayonet! Venezuela is going to the Security Council," Chavez said Sunday, encouraging Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations, The U.S. and its allies argued that Venezuela's constant anti-American rhetoric could stymie the council and undermine its credibility. Actually, there's no credibility to undermine. Guatemala, whose candidacy had been backed by the U.S., won 109 votes in the first round, 114 in the second, 116 in the third and 110 in the fourth. Venezuela's chances appeared to fade as the voting continued — it received 76 votes, then 74, 70, then 75. |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #2 LOL! Gonna go to a 3rd party now? Mexico slipped in there last time this happened. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2006-10-16 17:31 |
| #1 The Lil' Dictator Who Could |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2006-10-16 16:25 |