The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency session for Jan. 5 to take up the U.S.’s “snatch-and-grab” operation in Venezuela early yesterday morning, Jan. 3. The initiative for the session was made by Colombia, with the support of both Russia and China.
On Jan. 3, in a statement issued through his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he was “deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in Venezuela, culminating with today’s (Saturday’s) United States military action in the country, which has potential worrying implications for the region.” The statement added: “Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent.”
Dujarric said: “The secretary general continues to emphasize the importance of full respect—by all—of international law, including the UN Charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.” he stressed that even severe political crises do not negate the legal restraints imposed by the UN Charter. “Full respect—by all—of international law” remains essential, Dujarric said, warning that departures from those principles weaken the rules-based international order.
South Africa also backed the call for a UNSC session, reported the South African news distributor. The Department of International Relations Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said: “South Africa views these actions as a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations, which mandates that all Member States refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.... South Africa calls on the UN Security Council, the body mandated to maintain international peace and security, to urgently convene to address this situation.”
He explained that the Charter does not authorize external military intervention in matters that are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign nation. Further, history has shown that military invasions of sovereign states result in instability and escalating crises, and that unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations.
