MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Guatemala optimistic on UN Security Council vote

Guatemala says it has “very good chances” of becoming a non permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the coming vote October 16. The other candidate is Venezuela that has been involved in an aggressive lobbying campaign.

Foreign Affairs minister Gert Rosenthal on his return to Guatemala City from United States, declared he was "both optimistic and cautious, since the dispute is very tight, but we have very good chances of being voted in".

For months now Guatemala and Venezuela have been campaigning for support to obtain the 128 votes needed in the UN General Assembly to have access to the Security Council non permanent seat which Argentina vacates next January.

According to Mr. Rosenthal, the "cards are on the table" but an estimated 30 countries have yet to express their vote intention.

Guatemala, among others, has the full support of United States and the European Union and Venezuela a long list of African, Asian and Latinamerican countries including Mercosur, which the President Hugo Chavez administration joined earlier this year.

Among the officially undecided countries is Chile that has a pending debt with Venezuela, which was instrumental in giving the necessary votes to have Chilean candidate Jose Miguel Insulza elected Secretary General of the Organization of American States.

However a recent diplomatic incident which forced the removal of the Venezuelan ambassador in Santiago is still very fresh.

"The naming of the new Venezuelan ambassador is in no way linked to Chile's vote next October 16 in the UN", pointed out Chilean Foreign Affairs minister Alejandro Foxley in Santiago.

"The Security Council decision will take into account the fact that whoever represents Latinamerica must do so with the utmost qualities and conditions, a clear voice which represents us all", underlined Mr. Foxley.

In Chile there's speculation that the naming of Maria Lourdes Urbaneja, a former Public Health minister as Venezuela's new ambassador was clearly geared to influence Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, a pediatric by formation and also a former Public Health minister. Apparently both ladies are also close friends.