Venezuela: Dismayed at violence, Annan vows UN support for peaceful solution

Voicing dismay at the violence that has rocked Venezuela over the past week, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today pledged the world body's backing in achieving a peaceful resolution.

In a statement read by his spokesman, the Secretary-General welcomed the support given to the work of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Carter Center, hailing it as "an important element in ensuring a peaceful, electoral and constitutional solution to the country's political impasse."

Spokesman Fred Eckhard said the UN "will continue to be engaged in supporting the Government and other parties in seeking peaceful solutions to resolving their differences."

The Carter Center is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy institute founded by former United States President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, to launch collaborative initiatives in democratization, global health and urban revitalization.