Bolivia's president said Tuesday that Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez would throw his support behind the Andean country if Venezuela were unable to win enough votes to defeat US-backed Guatemala for a seat on the UN Security Council. Bolivian President Evo Morales, a close ally of Chavez, raised the possibility during a speech in El Alto, Bolivia, while in Caracas Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Venezuela would continue its drive for the rotating Security Council seat. Morales said he had spoken by phone with Chavez, who told him that if Venezuela does not get the two-thirds majority it needs to win, he will "propose Bolivia as a candidate."
"We're candidates for the Security Council," Morales said. "I hope we can achieve consensus."