US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will press UN Security Council members to recognize Juan Guaido as acting president of Venezuela during an upcoming crisis meeting, the State Department said Friday. The United States requested Saturday’s session after it threw its support behind the Venezuelan opposition leader and declared leftist firebrand Nicolas Maduro to be an illegitimate president. “Secretary Pompeo will urge members of the Security Council and the international community to uphold international peace and security by recognizing Juan Guaido as the constitutional interim President of Venezuela, and call for support for the transitional government in their quest to restore democracy and the rule of law,” the State Department said in a statement announcing his trip.
