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    (CNN) -- The president of Bolivia announced that his country may have a chance at obtaining a much coveted spot on the U.N. Security Council, the body within the United Nations charged with maintaining global peace and security. Evo Morales said Tuesday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is contemplating withdrawing his country's candidacy for a Latin American seat on the Security Council and nominating Bolivia instead. The General Assembly has been deadlocked between Venezuela and Guatemala for the seat. Guatemala has led in balloting but has not reached the required two-thirds of the 192 member states to win the seat. Late Tuesday night, Guatemala said it would not compromise in its bid and give Bolivia the seat, Reuters reported. Morales, elected in 2005, is an ally of Chavez. Both are outspoken critics of the U.S. Chavez, who did not immediately respond to Morales' comment Tuesday, has said Venezuela's role on the Security Council would be to challenge what he calls America's "imperialism." Last month Chavez tore into the U.N. and President Bush during a fiery speech at the U.N. in New York. He said he could smell "sulfur" and called President Bush "a devil." The Venezuelan leader also called the U.N. General Assembly's system "worthless." It is "merely a deliberative organ" that meets once a year," the dictator said. Venezuela has accused the United States of attempting to strong-arm U.N. members into supporting Guatemala. John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has denied that, although he said last week that the United States "had zero involvement ... until Venezuela declared its candidacy." The U.N. showdown between the U.S. and its allies and Chavez and Morales has been building for many months. Little more than a week ago Chavez warned that his country would defend Morales against what Chavez described as an American-led effort to sabotage Morales' administration. "Venezuela will not keep its arms crossed if the Bolivian government and people are attacked from outside or within," Chavez said in a televised speech. Americans in Alaska shot back at Chavez for his insults toward Bush by saying they didn't want to accept Venezuela's offer of free heating oil, even though their families could barely afford to keep their homes warm this season. In the end, residents didn't have much of a choice. Citgo, the Venezuelan government's Texas-based oil subsidiary, donated about $5.3 million to Alaska Native nonprofit organizations to buy fuel this winter for more than 12,000 households, and has given millions more in other parts of the country. About 150 Alaska Native villages have accepted the offer, though a few villages reportedly refused to take the oil. Venezuela was the world's ninth-largest oil producer in 2004 and the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the United States, accounting for 11.2 percent of U.S. imports in 2005, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Belgium, Indonesia, Italy and South Africa picked up four open seats on the Security Council in voting last week. Their two-year terms will begin on January 1. Congo, Ghana, Peru, Qatar and Slovakia hold the other five non-permanent seats on the 15-member council. Their two-year terms expire on December 31, 2007. The five permanent members of the council are China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States. |
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