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Deadlock in Latin America UN race Deadlock in Latin America UN race
(about 6 hours later)
A crucial fight for one of Latin America's UN Security Council seats remains deadlocked. Voting in the fierce battle for one of Latin America's UN Security Council seats will go into a second day after delegates failed to end a deadlock.
Guatemala leads the race even though its share fell to 110 votes in the fourth round, ahead of Venezuela's 75 but short of the 124 needed to win. After 10 rounds of voting neither of the leading nations, Guatemala and Venezuela, emerged as the victor in the election for the temporary seat.
The race can now be thrown open to other regional candidates, including Costa Rica, Panama and Uruguay. Guatemala has forged ahead but is still short of the 124 votes needed to win.
The US has strongly backed Guatemala, fearing that Venezuela would use the seat as a platform to denounce it. Guatemala is backed by the US and Western diplomats over Venezuela - a strong critic of Washington.
The BBC's UN correspondent Laura Trevelyan says the race between Venezuela and Guatemala has been the most dramatic at the Security Council since Cuba ran against Colombia in 1979, at the height of the Cold War. Lobbying
Lobby politics The BBC's UN correspondent, Laura Trevelyan, says diplomats will now try to see whether enough of Venezuela's votes can be transferred to Guatemala for victory or whether a compromise candidate can come through with enough votes to win.
Costa Rica, Panama and Uruguay could emerge in the compromise.
Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is a fierce critic of the US
The race has been the most dramatic at the Security Council since Cuba ran against Colombia in 1979, at the height of the Cold War, our correspondent says.
Guatemala was ahead in the early rounds of Monday's voting. Venezuela then drew level but in the final rounds it slipped back.
Round 10 ended with 77 votes for Venezuela to 110 for Guatemala, leaving Guatemala short of the two-thirds majority required. Further voting is set for Tuesday.
The US has warned that the work of the Security Council will become impossible if Venezuela wins and denounces President George W Bush at every turn.
Venezuela says every vote cast for it is a vote of conscience for the developing world.
Venezuela's UN ambassador Francisco Arias Cardenas blamed its performance in the vote on lobbying by the US.
"We're not competing with our brother country [Guatemala]," he said. "We are competing with the most powerful country on the planet."
Diplomats told Associated Press news agency that the campaign of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may have hurt his country's chances.Diplomats told Associated Press news agency that the campaign of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may have hurt his country's chances.
President Chavez denounced George W Bush as "the devil" in a speech at the UN last month.President Chavez denounced George W Bush as "the devil" in a speech at the UN last month.
But Venezuela's UN ambassador Francisco Arias Cardenas put the poor performance of Venezuela's candidacy down to lobbying by the US. Rotated
"We're not competing with our brother country [Guatemala]," he said. "We are competing with the most powerful country on the planet."
The US has been working behind the scenes to raise support for Guatemala, but the intensity of Washington's lobbying may have been counterproductive, our correspondent said.
Western diplomats fear that if Venezuela wins a temporary seat on the Security Council, it will use the post as a platform for anti-US rhetoric, making it impossible to get any work done.
Mexican standoff?
With Iran, Darfur and North Korea on the agenda of the council in the coming months, a position on the Security Council gives some influence over key decisions.With Iran, Darfur and North Korea on the agenda of the council in the coming months, a position on the Security Council gives some influence over key decisions.
Five of the UN Security Council seats are held permanently by China, the US, Russia, the UK and France.Five of the UN Security Council seats are held permanently by China, the US, Russia, the UK and France.
The others are held by regional blocs from Africa, Latin America, Asia, Western Europe and Eastern Europe.The others are held by regional blocs from Africa, Latin America, Asia, Western Europe and Eastern Europe.
The 1979 battle between Cuba and Colombia took three months of voting to resolve, with Mexico eventually winning as the compromise candidate.
In Monday's series of votes, both Latin American candidates ended up close to where they started.
Guatemala won 109 votes in the first round but rose to 116 in the third, before dropping back to 110 in the latest round.
Venezuela started on 76 votes but dropped to 70 before ending up on 75.
Other regional seats, which are rotated every two years, went to Indonesia, South Africa, Italy and Belgium in the first round of voting.Other regional seats, which are rotated every two years, went to Indonesia, South Africa, Italy and Belgium in the first round of voting.
The 1979 battle between Cuba and Colombia took three months of voting to resolve, with Mexico eventually winning as the compromise candidate.