Venezuela lags behind Guatemala in 8th UN vote

United Nations, Oct 17: Venezuela's chances for a Latin American seat in the UN Security Council next year diminished yesterday after it fell considerably behind Guatemala in the eighth round of secret balloting.

After breaking even with Guatemala in the sixth round, the eighth round produced only 85 votes for Venezuela compared to 102 for Guatemala. Five nations abstained.

No country has reached the two-thirds majority needed for victory in the 192-nation UN General Assembly.

Further rounds of balloting are necessary during which a new compromise candidate could emerge. The highest number of ballots occurred in 1979 with 155 rounds in a contest between Colombia and Cuba, with Mexico then emerging as the compromise candidate, the United Nations said.

Venezuela's UN ambassador, Francisco Javier Arias Cardenas, said the United States had tried to turn the vote into a contest between his government and Washington, and said votes cast for his government had been ''votes of conscience'' in favor of the developing world.

''We are not competing with a brother country. We are competing with the biggest power on the planet,'' he told reporters, adding that Venezuela would not withdraw from the race.

But US Ambassador John Bolton said, ''I think it is very clear there's a candidate with a strong predominant vote.'' However, he expected more rounds. ''This has just begun.'' The Security Council has 15 seats, five permanent members with veto power, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, and 10 nations serving for two-year terms, five of them elected each year.

''DEVIL'' SPEECH BACKFIRES

In other regions, South Africa, Indonesia, Italy and Belgium received the necessary votes to win two-year seats in the council, beginning on January. 1. They replace Tanzania, Japan, Denmark and Greece.

Venezuela and Guatemala are vying for the Latin American seat being vacated by Argentina while Peru stays on the Security Council until the end of 2007 along with the Congo Republic, Ghana, Qatar and Slovakia.

Lichtenstein's UN ambassador, Christian Wenaweser, told reporters, ''It's going to be very hard to turn that (vote) around.'' He and several other ambassadors said that President Hugo Chavez's September speech to the U.N. General Assembly did not win him friends. Chavez called President George W Bush a ''devil'' and said the American leader had left the smell of sulfur hanging in the chamber.

''Many people felt it was bad taste,'' said Tanzanian Ambassador Augustine Mahiga. But he said Guatemala might have won the seat outright had the United States not lobbied so hard on its behalf.

Within Latin America, nations have been divided, with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia considered supporters of Venezuela. Mexico, Colombia and most Central American nations have indicated support for Guatemala.

Chile, where the debate had divided the ruling coalition of Michelle Bachelet's government, said on Sunday it would abstain in the vote. Its UN ambassador, Heraldo Munoz, said Santiago was abstaining because there was no consensus candidate from Latin America.

Most decisions in the Security Council, the most powerful UN body are made by the five permanent members. But policy statements need the support of all 15 members and a resolution has to have a minimum of nine votes and no veto for adoption.

REUTERS