AP: Chavez claims victory of sorts at U.N.

Posted on Sun, Oct. 22, 2006

Chavez claims victory of sorts at U.N.
CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Venezuela
achieved its objective at the United Nations by preventing Washington's
preferred candidate from winning a seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Venezuela is trailing Guatemala after 35 rounds of secret balloting
in which both countries have failed to garner the two-thirds majority
required to win the seat.

-snip-

"We have taught the empire a lesson," Chavez told thousands of supporters
in Valencia, an industrial city about 65 miles west of Caracas. Even if
"Venezuela isn't able to enter the Security Council, we've done damage
to the empire. That was our objective."

The U.N. General Assembly is slated to resume voting on Wednesday.

Guatemala has led Venezuela in 34 of 35 of the votes by the 192-nation
General Assembly. Chavez says his country will not withdraw, vowing to
continue confronting the U.S.

-snip-