UN reiterates position on Venezuela, offers "good offices" to support inclusive dialogue

The United Nations on Monday reiterated its publicly stated stance on Venezuela and said the Secretary-General had offered his "good offices" to support an inclusive national dialogue, while clarifying that the offer did not equate to formal mediation.

At a regular briefing, the UN spokesperson Steph said the Secretary-General met with Venezuela's permanent representative, Ambassador Samuel Moncada, and "reiterated his publicly stated position on the U.S. military action in Venezuela." The briefing, Steph said, included an offer of the Secretary-General's good offices "to support a possible inclusive national dialogue in Venezuela." Steph added that the offer had been made to the Venezuelan government rather than framed as a mediation or a call to assemble a special team.

Why it matters: the Secretary-General's offer signals UN willingness to facilitate talks without taking a formal adjudicatory role. Journalists pressed the spokesperson for details; Steph said the meeting with Ambassador Moncada took place on the 38th floor and lasted about 45 minutes but declined to provide additional readouts on the delegation's requests.

The briefing reiterated a core UN principle: "the oil in Venezuela belongs to Venezuelan people," Steph said, underlining the Secretariat's repeated view that the natural resources of any country belong to its people. When asked whether the UN considered the Maduro government illegitimate, Steph said the UN had expressed concern about aspects of the elections, had sent independent experts and that "our position stands and is not modified in any way." She also noted that the Venezuelan delegation currently has representation at the UN with no known credential challenges.

Steph described continued contacts with various Venezuelan actors, saying UN representatives have been "in constant touch with the opposition," but emphasized that the specific offer of good offices was extended to the government and that the Secretariat would see "where things go." When a journalist cited an appeal by Jeffrey Sachs for a team to report to the Security Council within 14 days, Steph said Sachs was speaking at the invitation of a member state and not on behalf of the UN; she added that the Secretary-General makes his own decisions about next steps.

The spokesperson said reporters should consult the Venezuelan mission for any account of the requests it made during the meeting. The UN did not announce formation of any mediation team or timetable following the exchange.

The press briefing is expected to be followed by further contacts between the UN and Venezuelan interlocutors; the UN's offer of "good offices" does not, on its face, create a binding process or timetable.