Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Guatemala, Venezuela seek solution on Security Council seat
11-02-2006

UNITED NATIONS, (AFP): Guatemala and Venezuela on Wednesday agreed to suspend voting in the General Assembly until next week to decide which of them will secure a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council next January.

Foreign ministers of the two rival candidates met in New York Wednesday morning and were due to meet again later in the day to find a way out of their deadlocked contest for the seat being vacated by Argentina at the end of the year.

"This is a difficult decision for both countries but we are on the right path," said Guatemalan Foreign Minister Gert Rosenthal after conferring with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro.

A spokeswoman for the 192-General Assembly meanwhile said voting would resume next Tuesday morning and if necessary the following day.

The contest is in its third week, despite intense lobbying by the United States, which backs Guatemala over Venezuela, whose president, Hugo Chavez, has a running battle of words with US President George W. Bush.

Venezuela has refused to drop out despite trailing Guatemala in all but one of the voting rounds.

Tuesday, US-backed Guatemala won all six rounds of balloting but each time failed to secure the required two-thirds majority needed in the 192-member assembly to win one of the 10 rotating council seats for Latin America.

"Ideally we should both withdraw (from the race)," Rosenthal said. Such a move would make it possible for a compromise candidate to emerge.

Maduro meanwhile voiced optimism about progress toward a "dignified formula" and vowed that Caracas would do it utmost to promote it.

Venezuela has put out feelers to Bolivian President Evo Morales and the Dominican Republic's President Leonel Fernandez about their possible candidacies.