MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile will “abstain” from Security Council vote

Chile will abstain from voting for Venezuela or Guatemala in Monday's ballot to fill a non permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council was officially announced late Sunday in Santiago by presidential spokesperson Ricardo Lagos Weber.

"According to available information, at this moment none of the two candidacies has the sufficient majority. Since there has been no agreement on the issue, the Chilean government has decided to abstain from the vote on Monday", said Lagos Weber ending months of political uncertainty.

The decision was arrived at, "taking into consideration the highest interests of the country" he said adding that the Chilean government "has the best of relations with the governments of Guatemala and Venezuela" and hopes to continue and strengthen those "very good relations".

Lagos Weber said the definition "was reached in this way" because Chile from the very beginning of the process was looking forward to having Latinamerica "propose an only candidate for the region as has happened in eight of the previous eleven elections of this kind" and which clearly did not happen.

The spokesperson said President Michelle Bachelet had reached the decision "thinking in Chile, because in foreign affairs there's no room for influences, the before and after are ruled out, only the permanent interests of the nation are taken into account".

Lagos Weber added that Chile should now concentrate on acting united to face and achieve all the goals proposed by President Bachelet in her administration's program.

The UN vote abstention was decided during a meeting of the Executive political committee at the home of President Bachelet which also included Foreign Affairs minister Alejandro Foxley.

Mr. Foxley who on occasions seemed contrary to the Venezuelan option is expected to give further details on the highly sensitive issue Monday morning.