US military action against Venezuela lacks respect for int'l law: UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced deep concern over the lack of respect for international law in the U.S. military action against Venezuela on Saturday, reported Xinhua.

"I remain deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the Jan. 3 military action," said Guterres in a statement to the Security Council, read on his behalf by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo.

The UN Charter enshrines the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, the UN chief added.

"The maintenance of international peace and security depends on the continued commitment of all (UN) member states to adhere to all the provisions of the charter," said Guterres.

The UN chief also expressed deep concern about the possible intensification of instability in Venezuela, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent that the U.S. military action on Venezuela may set for how relations between and among states are conducted.

He called on all Venezuelan actors to engage in an inclusive, democratic dialogue in which all sectors of society can determine their future, and urged Venezuela's neighbors, and the international community more broadly, to act in a spirit of solidarity and in adherence to the principles, laws and rules erected to promote peaceful coexistence.

"In situations as confused and complex as the one we now face, it is important to stick to principles. Respect for the UN Charter and all other applicable legal frameworks to safeguard peace and security. Respect for the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of States. The prohibition of the threat or use of force," the UN chief said.

The power of the law must prevail, said Guterres, adding that international law contains tools to address issues such as illicit traffic in narcotics, disputes about resources and human rights concerns. "This is the route we need to take," he said.

Meanwhile, Russian UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Monday that his country condemns the U.S. military action against Venezuela over the weekend.

"We firmly condemn the act of armed aggression by the United States against Venezuela in breach of all norms of international law," Nebenzia told an emergency meeting of the Security Council following the U.S. assault on Venezuela.

He called on the U.S. leadership to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, both currently being held in New York.

Nebenzia said Russia is particularly appalled by the unprecedented cynicism on the part of Washington, which does not even attempt to conceal the true objectives of its criminal operation, namely the establishment of unlimited control over Venezuela's natural resources and assertion of its hegemonic ambitions in Latin America.

"In this way, Washington is generating fresh momentum for neocolonialism and imperialism, which have been repeatedly and decisively repudiated by the peoples of this region and the Global South as a whole," he said.

In the current situation, it is extremely important for the entire international community to stand united and definitively reject the methods and instruments of U.S. military foreign policy, which were vividly demonstrated in the case of Venezuela, said the Russian diplomat.

The United States must not be allowed to proclaim itself as a kind of supreme judge, which alone bears the right to invade any country, to determine who is guilty, to hand down and enforce punishments, irrespective of such notions as international law, sovereignty and non-intervention, said Nebenzia.