247 – Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Samuel Moncada, denounced this Friday (10) a massive military deployment by the United States near the Venezuelan coast, warning the Security Council of the risk of a regional catastrophe. The news was released by the teleSUR channel.

In a firm and warning tone, Moncada accused Washington of fabricating an armed conflict with the aim of seizing Venezuela's oil resources."We are facing a situation in which it is rational to think that, in the very short term, an armed attack against Venezuela will be carried out," he declared. According to the diplomat, the military deployment includes more than 10,000 soldiers, fighter jets, destroyers, missile cruisers, assault troops, special forces, and even a nuclear submarine.

The “fiction” of drug trafficking and the greed for oil

The Venezuelan representative denied the U.S. government's claim that the military presence in the Caribbean was aimed at combating drug trafficking. Moncada called this justification a"fiction promoted by a warmongering government."

"Who can believe that a military escalation of this magnitude is aimed at drug trafficking?" he asked. For him, the real motive is the United States' interest in controlling Venezuelan oil."The United States is desperate to control all the world's oil sources and believes that Venezuela's oil belongs to them," he stated.

The diplomat compared Washington's current offensive to interventions in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Libya."If Venezuela didn't have oil, the military threat that is about to occur wouldn't exist," he declared.

“There is a killer prowling the Caribbean”

Moncada also denounced US military operations that resulted in the deaths of 21 people on boats in the Caribbean, calling them"extrajudicial executions." "The US government disguises its crimes under the guise of self-defense. It murders civilians without presenting evidence regarding the victims' identities or the imminence of an attack," he stated. Incisively, he asked the plenary:"Is there a killer lurking in the Caribbean?"

Three concrete actions and an appeal to the Security Council

During the emergency session called by Caracas, the ambassador proposed three concrete measures to the Security Council:

• Formally recognize the existence of a threat to international peace and security;
• Adopt urgent measures to prevent military escalation;
• Approve a resolution committing all countries, including the United States, to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Venezuela.

“We are only asking for respect for the United Nations Charter,” Moncada emphasized.

The right to self-defense

Concluding his speech, the diplomat issued a direct warning to the world:"If the United States attacks Venezuela and its people, we have a sacred duty to defend what is ours," he stated, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, which guarantees the right to self-defense.

Moncada recalled the Venezuelan people's tradition of resistance."If anyone thinks they can destroy us because we're a small country, they should look to the past and see that Venezuela was the tomb of an empire," he said.

In a patriotic tone, he concluded:"We will exercise our right to self-defense with all the strength that love for our country gives us, and thus we will endure generations in this struggle. We will win," he declared, reaffirming that Venezuela"will continue to win peace."