Pompeo takes US efforts to oust Maduro to UNSC

Bloomberg

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo takes the US effort to recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s rightful leader to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), part of a broader international campaign to pressure and replace President Nicolas Maduro.
The emergency session of the Security Council was called for by the US. With Venezuela’s competing leaders — Guaido heads the National Assembly while Maduro succeeded late President Hugo Chavez in 2013 — are vying for support in the streets and the military. The US is betting it has the clout to tip the scales against Maduro after President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president was joined by Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Panama, among other countries. Spain said it would recognise Guaido if elections aren’t called in eight days.
“We think every country ought to take steps towards achieving that and not side with this cruel dictator in Venezuela, who has caused so much devastation for the people of Venezuela,” Pompeo said. “We think every country ought to recognise the Venezuelan constitution, the demands of the Venezuelan people.”

Massive Protests
Maduro has stood firm, winning the endorsement of key military leaders and vowing to defeat what he calls a US-backed coup against his government. Nevertheless, he’s faced some setbacks, including massive demonstrations against his regime earlier this week.
Maduro’s efforts to withdraw $1.2 billion in gold from the Bank of England, a significant part of the nation’s $8 billion in foreign reserves, was blocked after US officials lobbied their UK counterparts.
The US is instead seeking to steer Venezuela’s overseas assets to Guaido to help bolster his chances of effectively taking control of the government.
Saturday’s Security Council hearing was expected to be a symbolic clash: with Venezuelan allies China and Russia holding veto power, there’s little chance the UN body will agree on a resolution. But it will present moments of drama, with Pompeo expected to be seated at the same horseshoe-shaped table as Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza. Whether the two men remain in the room for each others’ presentations remains to be seen.
Short of ramping up political and economic pressure, it’s unclear how the US could force Maduro, who was re-elected
in a 2018 vote widely seen
as rigged, to step down. Venezuela’s top military officials took to the airwaves to swear their support for the embattled president, and Russia and China have protested US interference in the country’s domestic affairs.
Moscow has helped Maduro’s government through loans and weapons exports. China has been less overt in its warnings to the US, saying Venezuela’s independence should be protected. Beijing has provided more than $62 billion, to Venezuela since 2007.