The Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, denounced a “flagrant violation” of the UN Charter and international law by the United States.
He also called for respect for immunity, as well as the release and return to Venezuela of deposed president Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
“We first request that the Government of the United States of America be required to fully respect the immunities of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, as well as their immediate release and safe return to Venezuela,” Moncada said during an emergency session of the UN’s highest body.
He also demanded that member states issue an “unequivocal” condemnation of the use of force against Venezuela, reaffirm the principle of non-acquisition of territory or resources through force, and adopt measures for de-escalation, protection of the civilian population, and the restoration of international law.
The diplomat accused the Washington of an “illegitimate armed attack devoid of any legal justification,” which involved “bombardments of its territory, the loss of civilian and military lives, the destruction of essential infrastructure, and the kidnapping” of Maduro on January 3, a date he described as being “of profound historical gravity” for the world.
“Allowing such acts to go unanswered effectively amounts to normalizing the replacement of law by force and eroding the very foundations of the collective security system,” the ambassador added.
Moncada described Venezuela’s “natural wealth, oil, energy, strategic resources, and geopolitical position” as a “central element of the aggression,” and likened the action to “the worst practices of colonialism and neocolonialism.”