Venezuela's Maduro Calls for Shakeup at UN
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro called for a "re-founding" of the
United Nations late Wednesday in his first speech before the
international organization.
The socialist president took the podium at the General Assembly of world
leaders to demand that the U.N. undergo a profound transformation and
recognize that the world is now multipolar, defined by new regional
alliances.
Co-operation among Latin American countries has Venezuela poised to win a
seat on the U.N. Security Council next year. Maduro said that this
council in particular needed an immediate overhaul to ensure that it
reflects the modern world, in which every region has its own voice and
ambitions.
Speaking with hand gestures and a declamatory style, he praised Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad for helping stave off Islamic State militants,
and pledged $5 million to the fight against Ebola.
He railed against harassment by the "imperial forces" of the American
empire "that have tried again and again to undermine democracy."
But unlike his mentor and predecessor Hugo Chavez, who famously called
George W. Bush the devil in a U.N. speech, Maduro stopped short of
personal attacks or name-calling.
As with most aspects of Maduro's presidency, the spirit of the more
popular Chavez was close at hand during the half hour speech. Maduro
made several reverential references to the populist leader. And Chavez's
daughter, who Maduro recently named as deputy ambassador to the U.N.,
made her public debut at the organization as she watched from the
empty-looking auditorium.
Maduro concluded his remarks with a prayer for peace. Something that
will only be possible, he said, when the sovereignty of each country is
respected.
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Hannah Dreier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hannahdreier
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