UN asked to accept Guaido as Venezuela’s leader

UNITED NATIONS: US Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday asked the United Nations to recognise Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, telling the Security Council: “Nicolas Maduro must go.”

Washington will present a drat UN resolution aimed at recognising the opposition leader, revoking the credentials of Maduro’s UN envoy and appointing Guaido’s representative as the ambassador to the world body, Pence told the council.

“The time has come for the United Nations to recognise interim president Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela and seat his representative in this body,” Pence said.

Maduro shot back by saying in a televised speech that he had seen Pence “making a fool of himself in the United Nations Security Council” with his appeal.

“I cannot understand his arrogance and selfimportance, his racial supremacism,” Maduro said.

The Socialist president accused Washington of threatening a “military invasion” ater Pence reiterated that “all options are on the table.”

The United States is among some 50 countries that recognise Guaido, the opposition leader who declared himself interim president in January in a bid to replace Maduro, whom he has branded as illegitimate.

Maduro has maintained control with support from the military, Russia and China. Russia last month sent troops to Caracas, raising tensions between Washington and Moscow.

Pence argued that Maduro had brought “deprivation” to Venezuela and that without action, “chaos and suffering will only spread” to the region, already faced with an influx of millions of migrants.

Venezuela was plunged into another major blackout on Wednesday leaving large parts of the country without power as Maduro met with the head of the Red Cross and agreed to receive international aid.

“We confirm our readiness to establish cooperation mechanisms for international assistance and support,” Maduro posted on Twiter ater meeting ICRC president Peter Maurer.