Outcome of UNSC vote to be 'positive': Venezuela

Chavez actively lobbied for the seat promising his country would work to counter what he calls US dominance in the world body.

Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations on Saturday claimed a "favourable" outcome would emerge from voting next week to determine which Latin American country will get a seat on the Security Council.

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Venezuela and US-backed Guatemala have competed for the seat in 41 ballots, which have failed to produce a winner, and both countries have refused to withdraw.

Francisco Arias Cardenas said in government statement that the outcome of the next round of voting on Tuesday "already is favorable" for Venezuela and was "generating great expectations for those who believe in UN reform."

Cardenas did not say, however, that Venezuela had managed to convince more nations in order to tip the balance toward itself or the consensus candidate it has proposed, Bolivia. Venezuela has previously cast the impasse as a victory because of the number of votes it has managed to secure despite open lobbying by Washington for Guatemala.

Guatemala has led Venezuela in all but one of the votes, where they tied, but it has been clear since the early ballots that neither can muster the needed two-thirds support in the 192-nation UN General Assembly.

President Hugo Chavez actively lobbied for the seat promising his country would work to counter what he calls US dominance in the world body.