Venezuela on Thursday asked the UN Security Council to hold emergency talks over what it said were "mounting threats" from the United States, which has sent warships to the Caribbean to fight drug trafficking.

At UN headquarters in New York, diplomats told AFP the talks would take place on Friday at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT).

The foreign ministry said in a statement that US strikes in international waters -- which have killed at least 21 people in recent weeks -- endangered "peace, security and international and regional stability."

Caracas said it wanted the UN Security Council -- on which the US is a permanent veto-wielding member -- to debate the issue and "make recommendations to curb any plans of aggression" on Washington's part.

Diplomats told AFP that Venezuela's request for a meeting

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