- France said the military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro violates the international law principle of non-use of force.
- Paris warned that repeated breaches of this principle by UN Security Council members risk undermining global security and reaffirmed support for the UN Charter.
France said the military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro violates international law, as Paris reiterated opposition to the use of force and warned of broader consequences for global security.
In a statement posted Saturday, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot said Maduro had “confiscated power from the Venezuelan people, depriving them of their fundamental freedoms,” adding that the Venezuelan leader “has inflicted serious harm on their dignity and their right to self-determination.” Barrot said France has “consistently committed, notably through its mediation efforts, to respecting the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people, whose voice must prevail.”
Addressing the reported capture of Maduro, Barrot said, “The military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro contravenes the principle of non-use of force that underpins international law.” He added that “no lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside and that sovereign peoples alone decide their future,” using that wording verbatim.
Barrot warned that repeated violations of the non-use-of-force principle by countries with special responsibilities at the international level would carry wider risks. “The multiplication of violations of this principle by nations entrusted with the primary responsibility as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council will have heavy consequences for the security of the world, which will spare no one,” he said.
He added that France, “instructed by history,” is preparing for such consequences “but cannot resign itself to them.” Barrot said France “reiterates its attachment to the United Nations Charter, which must continue to guide the international action of states, always and everywhere,” according to the statement.
France’s position places it among governments expressing concern over the legality of recent actions in Venezuela while maintaining criticism of Maduro’s record in office. The statement balances condemnation of the use of force with a call for respect for Venezuelan self-determination and international legal norms.