UN Denies Chavez

Venezuela gained votes but still lagged behind Guatemala on Monday in the fourth round of secret balloting for an open Latin American seat in the U.N. Security Council for the years 2007-2008. Guatemala, supported by the United States, received 110 votes, down from 116 in the third round, while Venezuela got 75 votes, up from 70 in the third round. Six nations abstained. But Guatemala did not get the two-thirds majority needed for victory in the 192-nation body. Further rounds of balloting are necessary during which a new compromise candidate could emerge. However, Brazil's U.N. ambassador, Ronaldo Sardenberg, said it was still premature to think of a substitute candidate until the trend became clearer. Venezuela's U.N. ambassador, Francisco Javier Arias Cardenas, said the United States had tried to turn the vote into a contest between his government and Washington, and said votes cast for his government had been "votes of conscience" in favor of the developing world. "We are not competing with a brother country. We are competing with the biggest power on the planet," he told reporters, adding that Venezuela would not withdraw from the race. But U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said, "I think it is very clear there's a candidate with a strong predominant vote." However, he expected more rounds. "This has just begun."