UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -- Russia, China, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea blocked on Saturday a U.S. push for a UN Security Council statement expressing full support for Venezuela’s National Assembly as the country’s "only democratically elected institution.”
The move came ahead of meeting of the 15-member body on Saturday, at the request of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, after Washington and a string of countries in the region recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as head of state and urged President Nicolas Maduro to step down.