General view of a United Nations Security Council meeting on US military actions against Venezuela, at United Nations headquarters. AFP
Somalia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, will preside over the session. The meeting, requested by Venezuela and relayed by Colombia, is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. New York time (1500 GMT, 5:00 p.m. Cairo time).
In a letter to the council, Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta called the US strikes “a colonial war aimed at destroying our republican form of government, freely chosen by our people, and at imposing a puppet government that allows the plundering of our natural resources, including the world’s largest oil reserves.”
He said the attacks violated the UN Charter and reiterated that Venezuela “reserves the inherent right of self-defense” under international law.
The US strikes on Saturday hit civilian and military sites in Caracas and other regions. They involved nationwide air and helicopter attacks. The strikes came nearly four months after Washington targeted what it described as drug boats near Venezuelan waters.
The operation alarmed world powers, who said it undermined international law. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “deep concern” over the US action, calling it “a dangerous precedent.”
President Donald Trump said the United States would run Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” without providing details. He accused Venezuela of seizing American oil, saying it was US property, and expressed interest in the country’s vast oil reserves. Trump added that US oil companies, “the biggest anywhere in the world,” would invest billions to fix the country’s damaged oil infrastructure and generate profits.
The Security Council previously met in October and December over rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela.
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