Venezuela-Guatemala contest shows no change

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 19 (Reuters) Marathon voting resumed today for an open UN Security Council seat for Latin America with no sign of a breakthrough in the deadlock between Venezuela and Guatemala.

The 23rd ballot showed 108 votes for Guatemala, 77 for Venezuela, with seven nations casting abstentions or not voting, similar to the gap between the two countries earlier in the week.

Neither country has achieved the necessary two-thirds majority in the 192-member UN General Assembly. And neither Venezuela, which sees the race as one against the United States, or Guatemala, supported by Washington, has shown willingness to pull out yet.

Egypt's UN Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz told the assembly it should set a timetable for voting as ambassadors had other engagements, but the assembly president and Latin American countries showed no sign of doing that.

Yesterday, when there was no balloting, Latin American and Caribbean nations met but did not come up with an agreement to break the impasse.

The United States, Russia, Britain, France and China hold permanent seats on the 15-member Security Council. Ten other nations sit on the council for two-year terms, five elected each year.

Guatemala and Venezuela are vying for the Latin American seat Argentina will vacate on December 31, while Peru stays on the council until the end of 2007.

REUTERS LL RN2103