CARICOM backs Venezuela in Security Council bid

In news from the Caribbean, word from CARICOM leaders tonight is that they have decided to back controversial Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in his bid for a seat on the United Nation’s Security Council … and Belize is the reason. In a statement from CARICOM Chair and St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, “The very strong view within CARICOM is that the claim that Guatemala continues to make on Belize is unacceptable”. We understand that the fifteen leaders of CARICOM are now in the process of formalizing their declaration. CARICOM has also announced that it will send a delegation to Caracas to fine tune the country’s relations with the Caribbean, specifically the PetroCaribe agreement, which would involve the sale of oil on concessionary terms to the region.

Venezuela and Guatemala are both vying for the two year position of the non-permanent Latin American representative on the Security Council, a post currently held by Argentina. Guatemala has strong backing from the United States who has made it clear that they consider Chavez a destabilizing force in South America. For their part, Guatemala needs thirty-three more votes to secure a seat they say they’ve earned by being a founding member of the U.N. and by regularly sending troops to worldwide peace keeping operations.

The elections at the U.N. are scheduled to take place in October. Belize was represented at the St. Kitts CARICOM meeting by Prime Minister Said Musa.