A US warship at the Norfolk Naval Base, United States. Photo: EFE-/Esteban Capdepon Sendra.
Russia expressed concern over the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2793, which transforms the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti into a “Gang Repression Force,” stating that this measure could be used as a precedent or justification for similar actions in other countries in the region, such as Venezuela.
During the vote on the resolution on Friday, October 17, Russia, China, and Pakistan chose to abstain, arguing that the text lacks clarity and contains worrying gaps. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova explained that Russia did not veto the initiative at the request of the Haitian government itself and neighboring countries, which fear an exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
However, Zakharova highlighted that the resolution grants the new forces a status “virtually independent of national and international control,” with an “almost unlimited” mandate to use force against anyone or any group that the United States and its allies classify as “gangs.” She called this point “extremely concerning” and warned about the risks of a covert intervention under the UN umbrella.
In the same vein, she decried that Washington has spread unfounded insinuations linking alleged Venezuelan cartels to Haitian criminal gangs. Russia considers these accusations baseless and a move to justify future illegal operations against a sovereign state, taking advantage of any eventual mandate from the Security Council.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the situation in the Caribbean as “alarming” due to the deployment of US warships near the Venezuelan coast and the real threat of military aggression.
Lavrov asserted that the UN forces in Haiti must not be allowed to serve as a pretext to cover up military action against Venezuela. The proposed coalition could be transformed into a tool to attack governments that do not submit to US mandates, under the guise of combating drug trafficking or gangs.
These statements coincided with a report by a US television network that, citing military sources, revealed that the US Department of War is evaluating options to attack alleged “drug traffickers” inside Venezuela in the coming weeks.
Since early September, US forces have blown up several boats in the Caribbean Sea, accusing them of transporting drugs from Venezuelan territory, an accusation that Venezuela denies, arguing that the victims were civilians and that such attacks constitute “crimes against humanity.”
In response to this escalation, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil met with UN Secretary General António Guterres, who called the US military threat “unjustified and unacceptable.”
Gil underscored that the military deployment “violates the United Nations Charter and jeopardizes the stability and sovereignty of the entire region.”
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
