Countries take breather in Latin slugfest

NEW YORK - Venezuela and Guatemala failed repeatedly yesterday to garner enough votes to win a two-year seat on the United Nations Security Council, prompting a 24-hour break to explore how to resolve the impasse.

Latin American and Caribbean nations agreed to hold off voting and meet informally to assess the situation. In 22 rounds of voting, Guatemala has won all but one tied round. Neither country received the two-thirds vote needed. In 1979, a contest between Colombia and Cuba went to 155 rounds, with Mexico emerging as the compromise candidate.

- REUTERS