U.S. boycotts U.N. arms forum as Venezuela takes chair

The United States walked out of the Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday to protest against Venezuela assuming the rotating presidency of the U.N.-sponsored forum - as it did a year ago when Syria took the chair. The Trump administration, which has stepped up sanctions against the government of Nicolas Maduro, has not ruled out military action to remove what it and dozens of other nations consider an illegitimate government that rigged a 2018 election. As Venezuela took up the one-month presidency of the Geneva talks, U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood left the session and announced a "boycott" while Maduro ambassador Jorge Valero chairs it.