As Venezuela Takes Chair:

U.S. Walks Out of Conference on Disarmament

Date: 28 May 2019 - 22:07

News ID: ۶۶۴۷۰

GENEVA (Dispatches) -- The United States walked out of the Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday to protest against Venezuela assuming the rotating presidency of the UN-sponsored forum - as it did a year ago when Syria took the chair.
The Trump administration, which has stepped up sanctions against the government of Nicolas Maduro, has not ruled out military action to remove the legitimate Venezuelan government.
As Venezuela took up the one-month presidency of the Geneva talks, U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood left the session and announced a "boycott” while Maduro ambassador Jorge Valero chairs it.
"We have to try to do what we can to prevent these types of states from presiding over international bodies,” Wood told reporters.
A representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, the "interim leader”, should assume the seat, Wood said.
Latin American delegations including Argentina, Brazil and Chile who also recognize Guaido stayed away from the Conference. Syria and Russia denounced what they called its politicization. Valero condemned the move.
"We regret that the representative of the United States and its docile allies continue to bring to this forum matters that are outside the mandate of the CD,” he told a news briefing. "It is not a forum for coup-mongering.”
More than $4.5 billion in Venezuelan assets have been frozen or confiscated under U.S.-led sanctions that are crippling vital imports of food and medicines, Valero added.
Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of Washington and blames U.S. sanctions for a hyperinflationary economic meltdown and humanitarian crisis.
The Venezuelan president promised Monday to show "good faith" ahead of a meeting in Norway between representatives of his government and those of Guaido.
"We are going to be showing our very best good faith... to be able to find, based on the platform the parties agreed on, peaceful, democratic solutions to help overcome Venezuela's conflict," Maduro said in a televised address.
The talks in Norway this week will be the first face-to-face meeting between representatives of Maduro and those of Guaido.
Maduro confirmed that his delegation will include Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez, Miranda state Governor Hector Rodriguez and Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, who were on the ground in Norway.
The bid for talks comes after a months-long power struggle between Guaido, the leader of the National Assembly legislature, and the president.