Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro (R) will send his foreign minister to the UN Security Council meeting in New York, despite US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s plan to urge members to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido (Yuri CORTEZ)

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro said Friday he is sending his foreign minister to the UN Security Council meeting called by the United States to discuss the South American country’s political crisis.

At Saturday’s meeting in New York, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to urge members to recognize Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president and reject Maduro’s authority.

“(We) welcome the debate! It’s what we wanted. Mike Pompeo beat me to it. Thanks Mike,” said Maduro ironically, adding that Jorge Arreaza has his “visa” to go to New York.

He said in a news conference in Caracas that Arreaza would take “Venezuela’s truth” to the UN.

The US called for the meeting on Thursday, a day after Guaido proclaimed himself Venezuela’s acting president, eliciting immediate backing from President Donald Trump.

That sparked a political crisis in Venezuela as a host of countries joined the US in recognizing Guaido and dismissing Maduro as “illegitimate.”

Maduro was sworn in two weeks ago for a second term of office after winning elections last May that were boycotted by the opposition and branded a fraud by the European Union, US and several Latin American countries.

Since being elected president of Venezuela’s parliament last month, Guaido has launched a challenge to Maduro’s authority and wants to set up a transitional government leading to new elections.

Earlier on Friday, Maduro said he would be willing to hold talks with Guaido, which Mexico offered to host, in a bid to find a solution to the political impasse.

But the opposition leader rejected that and instead called on his supporters to take to the streets next week in a “major demonstration.”

It was during a protest on Wednesday attended by tens of thousands of opposition supporters fed up with Venezuela’s economic woes that have left millions in poverty that Guaido launched his power struggle with Maduro, who is backed by Venezuela’s influential military.

Although several countries have pledged support for Guaido, Maduro is backed by China, Russia, Turkey and several socialist governments in Latin America.

China and Russia are, alongside the US, Britain and France, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

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