The unilateral military strikes conducted by the United States against Venezuela, along with the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse from Venezuelan territory for transfer to the United States, constitute a blatant violation of Venezuela's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.
South Africa made this assertion during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting focused on the situation in Venezuela. The statement was delivered by Jonathan Passmoor, South Africa's Acting Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN.
The 15-member bloc convened an emergency meeting on Monday in New York City after the United States special forces abducted Maduro and his wife, taking them to the United States early Saturday morning.
In his first court appearance in New York yesterday, Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges.
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Passmoor informed Member States that history has shown military invasions of sovereign States often lead to instability and exacerbates crises.
"Unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations. Such use of force also undermines the institutional infrastructure established to regulate relations among nations.
"We have seen examples of these in Libya, Iraq, and countless cases in Africa, where foreign interventions and interference create security crises and undermine national governance institutions cultivated through nuanced and complex national contexts."
Passmoor emphasised that allegations regarding internal governance issues, human rights violations or criminal acts by a Head of State do not justify violating the Charter's prohibition on the use of force, especially Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.
"The peaceful resolution of disputes and internal matters must proceed in accordance with international law and through multilateral mechanisms."
According to international law, Passmoor said that a State has exclusive jurisdiction over individuals within its own territory.
"Enforcement of domestic law, including the arrest by one State within the territory of another State without the State's consent, is an unlawful violation of sovereignty."
Passmoor said since the establishment of the United Nations, the maintenance of international peace and security hinges on the recognition that no nation is legally or morally superior to another.
"We are all nations born out of different histories and contexts, ascribing to the common values and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Chief amongst these principles is the sovereign equality of all its members."
By signing the Charter, he stressed that nations are committed to resolving international disputes peacefully, ensuring that international peace, security and justice are not threatened.
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"We have also committed to refrain, in our foreign relations, from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
"The International Court of Justice has also previously affirmed that international law prohibits the use of force and non-intervention in another State's affairs."
Passmoor also spoke about a group of concerned Latin American countries that have raised the need to resolve the matter peacefully through dialogue, negotiation and respect for international law, without external interference.
"If we do not stand up to the sovereign rights of any nations or States being undermined and wantonly violated, then which one of us is safe or guaranteed protection by the principles of the Charter and international law?
"Failure to act decisively against such violations is tantamount to inviting anarchy, and normalising the use of force and military might as the main form of discourse in international politics. This would be a regression into a world preceding the United Nations, a world that gave us two brutal world wars, and an international system prone to severe structural instability and lawlessness. We cannot afford to proceed into a complex future without the stability and protection afforded by international law."
