Venezuela vows to continue bid for UN seat

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday his country will continue its bid for a United Nations Security Council seat despite trailing Guatemala in previous rounds of voting.

"Venezuela won't give up," Chavez said, adding that his country will show to the world that it will "continue waging the battle" for the UN seat.

Describing the Venezuelan bid as a struggle against the U.S. "empire," Chavez accused Washington of waging "a fierce campaign of blackmail, pressure, threats of all sorts."

"Their aim was to humiliate Venezuela. I think they are the ones who come out humiliated now," he said, expressing confidence that Venezuela will defeat the United States in the end.

U.S.-backed Guatemala led Venezuela in the race for a Latin American seat at the Security Council on Tuesday after 22 ballots but still failed to get the required two thirds of majority.

The seat Guatemala and Venezuela are racing for is one of the 10 non-permanent seats at the Security Council. South Africa, Indonesia, Italy and Belgium were elected on the first ballot on Monday to fill the four other rotating seats.

Source: Xinhua