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Venezuela's bid for a seat on the U.N. Security Council seemed to have slipped on an oil slick as a direct result of a hysterical rant by the country's left wing leader Hugo Chavez. In what many diplomats had assumed would be a near certain victory of petroleum-rich Venezuela for the two-year term on the Council, turned instead into a drawn out diplomatic deadlock with contender Guatemala. The face-off became a bout between Chavez and his allies and the U.S.-backed Central American nation.

There's little doubt that Hugo Chavez's memorable rant about President George W.

Bush being "the Devil" and his broad brushed smear at American "imperialism" did little to endear the former military colonel to many diplomats. Though many delegations were reportedly well lubricated by the largess of Venezuela's black gold, actual General Assembly vote saw Caracas slip on the very slick surface it created in the first place.

The New York Times conceded, "Venezuelan's Diatribe Seen as Fatal to U.N. Council Bid." Venezuela is trying to fill the one of two Latin American seats on the fifteen member Security Council.

Forty-two ballots were carried out with Guatemala considerably leading Venezuela with thirty vote margins, but still falling far short of the needed two-thirds majority of 192 members. The race according to senior sources recalled a starkly similar 1979 standoff between Cuba and Columbia-Mexico won as the compromise candidate.

Just weeks ago, Venezuela appeared the slam dunk favorite as many pundits smirked that tiny Guatemala, after all, suffered from being supported by Washington. Well, well.

It now appears that Venezuela's boastful diplomacy and courting of votes was actually less the issue than the definite backlash by delegations to Hugo Chavez's crudely shattering protocol and decorum in his tub-thumping diatribe against the U.S. Diplomats I spoke to after the event stressed shock and surprise over President Chavez's methods and manners, while less in disagreement with parts of his actual message.

Significantly a strong block of Central American democracies, Europe, and much of Asia backed Guatemala during the secret balloting in the General Assembly. Chavez holds considerable support in South America and among Islamic states particularly Iran. Russia and the People's Republic of China also back this Castro-wannabe.

So who will be the compromise candidates for the Latin American seat? Venezuela says it may bow out in favor of Bolivia. Guatemala has not said it would step out of the race. But should the deadlock continue, Bolivia's left-wing government would be a logical choice for Chavez as his comrade in the Council. Others suggest the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, or Uruguay. These three states have genuine democratic credentials and would cause far less rancor than the clearly polarizing choice of Bolivia.

High-profile and expensive petro-dollar diplomacy characterized Chavez's bid over the past year. Global jaunts from Islamic Iran to Syria set the stage for what was going to be a shock to the gringos. It backfired.

But this contest goes far beyond the confines of the horseshoe shaped table of the Security Council right into the streets of Caracas. Venezuela's presidential elections are scheduled for December; Chavez made gaining the

Security Council seat a prime political objective for his regime. Though petroleum prices remain buoyant thus temporarily hiding the economic failures of his rule, the setback at the U.N., while rationalized as a payback from Uncle Sam, will still resonate.

The opposition remains sadly disunited. The game continues with Venezuela's historically democratic traditions and genuine opposition parties, facing one last chance to topple the totalitarian temptation now unfolding. The oil slick Colonel may have stumbled but he's not out of the game.

The China Post is Taiwan's leading English-language newspaper since 1952. Petroleumworld not necessarily share these views.

Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published The China Post, on 10/27/2006. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers.

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Petroleumworld 10/30/06

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