Venezuela blasts US over UN Security Council bid

Caracas, Venezuela, June 21 : Venezuela accused the United States of pressuring allies to scuttle attempts by Caracas to secure a seat on the U N Security Council.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a former soldier who has riled Washington with his campaign to counter U S influence in Latin America, is seeking a seat on the 15-nation council in direct competition with rival regional candidate Guatemala.

Allied with Cuba and Iran, Chavez has become a harsh and steady critic of U S policies, including the Iraq war, while U S officials say he is pushing the world's No. 5 oil exporter toward authoritarian rule and threatening regional stability.

''To declare yourself against a candidate first you must have morals and they have lost them violating Security Council resolutions,'' Deputy Foreign Minister for North America Maripili Hernandez said in a statement.

''It is illegitimate, disrespectful and immoral for the United States to pressure friendly nations to turn against Venezuela,'' she said.

John Bolton, the U S ambassador to the United Nations, has criticized Chavez's campaign for a seat, saying it could not contribute to the effective operation of the council.

Venezuela, a major supplier of oil to the U S market, has already opposed Washington's attempts to press for U N resolutions against Iran over its fledgling nuclear energy program.

The 191-nation U N General Assembly annually elects five nations to two-year terms on the council. The United States is one of five permanent council members, along with Britain, France, Russia and China.

Reuters