Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolás Maduro and his Guatemalan counterpart Gert Rosenthal met for two hours at the Ecuadorian Embassy in New York. Ecuador holds the presidency of the Latin American and Caribbean Group at the UN General Assembly. Following the talks, he informed that no agreement had been reached.

“It is unfair that they ask us to drop” Guatemala candidacy, said Rosenthal, confirming that no significant breakthrough was made.

Venezuela and Guatemala are competing for a temporary seat the UN Security Council Argentina is leaving vacant at the end of this year.

Following 41 rounds of voting at the General Assembly they failed to obtain the ballots needed to win the position. If no agreement is reached in the interim, the vote is scheduled to resume next October 31st.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández confirmed he is engaged in consultations seeking consensus to nominate his country to the UN Security Council as an alternative to break the stalemate.

The Dominican Republic emerged as an option because this country was expected to replace Peru next year at the Security Council.

This week Venezuela expressed readiness to step aside if Bolivia was accepted as the consensus candidate. The idea was not welcomed.