The United States has described its expanded military deployment as part of what it calls a “non-international armed conflict” against drug and trafficking cartels, Khiari said.
“President Donald Trump has declared that he will use ‘the full power of the United States to confront and eradicate these drug cartels no matter where they operate from.’”
The Venezuelan Government, including its Permanent Representative to the UN, has described the US measures as “a serious threat to international peace and security,” Khiari continued.
In a December 16 letter addressed to the President of the Council, Caracas accused Washington of violating “the principle that prohibits the threat or use of force in international relations.”
Attacks on alleged drug vessels
U.S. attacks on ships suspected of carrying drugs in the Southern Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific have continued, Khiari said, citing U.S. authorities who reported that 105 people have been killed in these attacks since Sept. 2.
The exact locations were not disclosed, with US officials stating that they occurred in “international waters” or in the US Southern Command area of responsibility.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that the airstrikes violate international human rights law, Khiari added, stressing that combating drug trafficking is a law enforcement issue governed by strict limits on the use of lethal force.
Tensions continue to rise
Khiari further informed the Council that the United States designated the Cartel of the Suns as a “foreign terrorist organization” and declared Venezuelan airspace “completely closed,” leading many international airlines to suspend flights.
Washington also announced that it has since seized oil tankers, imposed new sanctions and ordered what President Trump described as “a total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil shipments.
Venezuela, in turn, denounced these actions as a “unilateral naval blockade” and a violation of international law, and in recent days its navy had begun escorting the oil tankers.
Khaled Khiari, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefs members of the Security Council.
Dialogue is the only viable path
Mr. Khiari reiterated the United Nations position on the need for all Member States to respect international law, in particular the United Nations Charter, and to exercise restraint and reduce tensions to preserve regional stability.
The Secretary-General stands ready to support all diplomatic engagement efforts, he added, including through his good offices, if requested by both sides.
“Dialogue is the only viable path to lasting peace and to preventing further instability and human suffering,” Khiari said.
Council members urge restraint
In the debate that followed, Security Council members and participating countries expressed concern about the situation, with many warning against an escalation that could destabilize the region.
Michael Imran Kanu, Sierra Leone’s ambassador, said the UN Charter’s rules on the use of force are “central to international stability” and are intended to prevent escalation, miscalculations and illegal wars of choice.
French Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Jay Dharmadhikari said efforts to combat drug trafficking must be carried out in accordance with international law. Eloy Alfaro de Alba, ambassador of Panama, urged all States to cooperate using “relevant international instruments” and appealed for respect for the UN Charter.
Regional participants offered contrasting views, with some expressing solidarity with Venezuela in the face of external pressure: “their fight is our fight,” said Jaime Hermida Castillo, Nicaragua’s ambassador. Others, however, warned that the Venezuelan people suffer as a “direct consequence” of the Government, “and not due to external or third-party factors,” according to Miguel Ricardo Candia Ibarra, representative of Paraguay.
The United States promises to eradicate cartels
The United States ambassador, Michael Waltz, stressed that his country will eradicate the drug cartels, “which have operated with impunity in our hemisphere for too long.”
The sanctions will be applied to the maximum extent possible to “deprive (Venezuelan President Nicolás) Maduro of the resources he uses to finance the (Suns) Cartel.”
This, he added, includes the profits from the sale of oil, since these allow “their fraudulent claim to power and their narco-terrorist activities.”
Underscoring that the “illegitimate Maduro regime” represents an “extraordinary threat to the peace and stability of our hemisphere,” Mr. Waltz declared that the United States “will do everything in our power to protect our hemisphere, our borders, and the American people.”
Venezuela alleges that the United States is looking for oil
“The United States seems destined by Providence to plague Latin America with misery in the name of freedom,” said Samuel Moncada, Venezuelan ambassador, quoting Simón Bolívar, the 19th century Latin American independence leader and statesman.
After emphasizing that it is not his country – but the current United States government – that poses a threat, he added: “It is not drugs, it is not security, it is not freedom: it is oil, it is mines, it is land.”
Moncada demanded that the Security Council condemn the ongoing aggression and ensure that the United States withdraws its army.
“The world knows that if the magnitude of armed attacks continues, we will resolutely exercise our inalienable right to self-defense,” he said.
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