United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his willingness to use his good offices to support a possible inclusive national dialogue in Venezuela, his spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the UN chief had held a 45-minute meeting with Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada, during which Guterres reiterated his publicly stated position on the recent U.S. military action in the country.
Addressing the UN Security Council earlier this week through Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Guterres said he was deeply concerned about the potential intensification of instability in Venezuela, its possible impact on the region, and the precedent such actions could set for relations between states.
The UN chief also expressed serious concern that international law had not been respected in connection with the January 3 military action, and urged all Venezuelan actors to engage in an inclusive and democratic dialogue, allowing all sectors of society to determine the country’s future.
In the early hours of January 3, U.S. military forces carried out strikes in Venezuela, detaining President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and transferring them to New York, triggering widespread international condemnation.
