At Colombia’s request, UN Security Council to convene Monday to discuss US operation in Venezuela

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Monday after the US attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-serving autocratic President Nicolas Maduro, a move that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres views as setting “a dangerous precedent.”

Colombia, backed by Russia and China, requested the meeting of the 15-member council, diplomats say. The UN Security Council has met twice — in October and December — over the escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela.

“This is 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,” Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada writes to the UN Security Council.

He says the US violated the founding UN Charter, which states: ” All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”

The US military action overnight constitutes “a dangerous precedent,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says in a statement.

“The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect — by all — of international law, including the UN Charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected,” Dujarric says.