Pompeo, UN Secretary-General Discuss Situation In Venezuela - Spokesman

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during their meeting discussed Venezuela, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2019) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during their meeting discussed Venezuela, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General and the Secretary of State discussed the situation in Yemen, in particular the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement and the importance of the parties to begin phase 1 of the redeployment from Hudaydah," Dujarric said on Thursday. "They also discussed the situation in Venezuela and the region."

On Thursday, the spokesperson confirmed that the US side requested a meeting with Guterres.

Earlier on Thursday, Pompeo said in an interview that the United States did not want Venezuela to be a "Cuban puppet state" and noted that Washington aims to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuela in the coming days.

In addition, local media reported that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido alongside the members of the opposition-led parliament on Thursday departed from Caracas to the country's border with Colombia to welcome the delivery of US aid despite Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's pledge to turn back the relief.

The spokesman confirmed that Guterres is in touch with various parties involved in the delivery of US humanitarian aid to Venezuela.

The United States has been stockpiling humanitarian aid on the Colombian border. Guaido said that US supplies would be delivered to the country on February 23. President Nicolas Maduro, however, refused to allow the aid into the country, blasting it as a ploy to topple his government.

The situation in crisis-torn Venezuela escalated on January 23 when Guaido declared himself interim president, disputing Maduro's reelection.

Guaido was almost immediately recognized by the United States and its allies. Russia, China, Mexico, among other nations, voiced support for Maduro, who, in turn, accused Washington of orchestrating a coup.

The International Center of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Columbia last week said it would not help distribute the goods because it does not consider the US assistance to be true humanitarian aid. ICRC officials and the UN Secretary-General's office have urged Washington not to politicize humanitarian assistance and not to deliver aid without the consent of Venezuelan government authorities.

Meanwhile, the US State Department on Thursday issued a statement on the meeting between Pompeo and Guterres, too.

"Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met today in New York with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. They discussed ongoing events in Venezuela, as well as the importance of parties in Yemen beginning redeployments in Hudaydah," the State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said.

Yemen has been gripped by a conflict between the government, supported by the Saudi-led international coalition, and the rebel Houthi movement.

In December, the Yemeni warring parties met for the UN-sponsored talks in Stockholm and agreed on a ceasefire in Al Hudaydah, which saw violent clashes for years. Moreover, the parties agreed to redeploy their forces from the area among other measures to stabilize the situation in the country.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, told the Security Council that the Yemeni parties could start their redeployment from Al Hudaydah in the coming days.