UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for respect for the political independence of states after the United States seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and said it was in charge of the country.
The 15-member Security Council met at UN headquarters in New York just hours before Maduro was due to appear in a Manhattan federal court on drug charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied any criminal involvement.
Guterres urges "respect for the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of states," according to remarks read on his behalf by Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo during a UN Security Council meeting on Venezuela.
"I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification (of) instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted," the UN chief´s remarks said.
Venezuela called for the meeting and Colombia relayed the request to the Security Council, of which it has been a member since January 1.
After months of threats and pressure tactics, US forces on Saturday bombed Venezuela and toppled Maduro in a massive operation that brought an end to 12 years of increasingly authoritarian rule by the left-wing leader, who had a $50 million US bounty on his head.
Maduro, in US custody, arrived at a New York court on Monday to face narcotrafficking charges, along with his wife Cilia Flores.
Meanwhile, Colombia condemned the US operation as a clear violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Venezuela.
"There is no justification whatsoever, under any circumstances, for the unilateral use of force to commit an act of aggression," Colombian UN Ambassador Leonor Zalabata Torres told the council. "Such actions constitute a serious violation of international law and the United Nations Charter."
Legal experts have said the US operation was illegal because it lacked UN Security Council authorisation, did not have Venezuelan consent and did not constitute self-defense against an armed attack.
But the United States cannot be held accountable for any violation by the UN Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security. The United States wields a veto — along with Russia, China, Britain and France — so it can block any action.
The founding UN Charter states that members "shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." There are currently 193 members of the United Nations.
