Original Post: Venezuela and Guatemala tie in U.N. Council vote

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Venezuela on Monday tied with Guatemala for an open Latin American seat in the U.N. Security Council for 2007-2008 after six rounds of secret balloting.

While Guatemala had led in previous balloting, both sides received 93 votes in the sixth round with one vote for Mexico. But neither country has gained the two-thirds majority needed for victory in the 192-nation body. Five nations abstained.

Further rounds of balloting are necessary during which a new compromise candidate could emerge. The highest number of ballots occurred in 1979 with 155 rounds in a contest between Colombia and Cuba, with Mexico then emerging as the compromise candidate, the United Nations said.

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."

LinkHere