CORDOBA, Argentina - Major South American economic powers threw their support Friday behind anti-U.S. crusader Hugo Chavez of Venezuela in his fight against Washington for a U.N. Security Council seat.
Led by the two leading South American powers, Argentina and Brazil, and backed by Uruguay and Paraguay, the Mercosur bloc said at the close of a two-day summit that Venezuela would make an important contribution to the council.
Venezuela, inducted as a full member of Mercosur on Friday, "will promote respect for the rule of international law" and provide balance if it gains a seat, bloc countries said in a statement.
Venezuela has occupied a Security Council seat four times, but the U.S. government is lobbying hard to thwart Chavez's bid by supporting Guatemala's candidacy.
Critics have expressed reservations that Chavez, a harsh and frequent critic of U.S. policy, would disrupt the Security Council. Others have said the strong U.S. lobbying effort could backfire when the U.N. General Assembly votes in October.
Washington argues that its campaign is not anti-Venezuela but pro-Guatemala, which has never had a seat but is a leading contributor of troops to U.N. peacekeeping missions.
Ten of the council's 15 seats are filled by regional groups for two-year terms. The other five are occupied by its veto-wielding permanent members; Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Normally, the Latin American group would fill the council seat with its own choice. But this year, because both Guatemala and Venezuela want the seat, the vote will be by secret ballot.
The U.N.'s 33-nation Latin American bloc already was expected to support Venezuela.
Mercosur is a customs union among Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela. Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have associate member status.
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