Venezuela Assumes Rotary Presidency of UN Security Council
The Latin American country has pledged to work towards facilitating a peaceful settlement of the Syria conflict.
Santa Elena, February 2nd, 2016. (venezuelanalysis.com)- Starting today, Venezuela’s United Nations representative Rafael Ramirez will lead the country’s one-month term as president of the Council.
Venezuela has held a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) since January 1, 2015, after running unopposed for the nonpermanent Latin American seat.
The UNSC is charged with international peacekeeping and security and possesses the exclusive authority to issue compulsory resolutions to member states. It consists of five permanent members; the US, France, Russia, China, and the UK, and ten non-permanent members who are elected to two-year terms.
During a press conference on the council’s February agenda, Ramirez paid tribute to the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, whom he called “a great promoter of peace and justice” who believed deeply in multilateral institutions.
Echoing Chavez’s infamous stance against US and European intervention in “the internal affairs of sovereign nations,” Ramirez cited ongoing conflicts in the Middle East as a “deplorable example” of upheaval triggered by warring foreign interests.
“One of our primary tasks is to promote the peaceful settlement of the Syrian conflict [and] the development of political dialogue,” Ramirez told reporters.
Additionally, Venezuela will be holding a rare debate on February 11 in which various countries under UN sanctions will speak to the council about their impact.
