Geneva, May 29 (RHC)-- The United States has walked out of the UN's Conference on Disarmament as Venezuela assumed the body's rotating presidency.

Ambassador Robert A. Wood, who serves as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament, walked out immediately after Venezuela's ambassador, Jorge Valero, began addressing the conference at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to begin his presidency.

Speaking with reporters outside the conference center, the U.S. representative said: "Whatever is discussed in there, whatever is decided, has absolutely no legitimacy because it is an illegitimate regime presiding over that body."

The U.S. government has been opening calling for the overthrow of the Venezuelan government led by Nicolas Maduro.  Washington has -- along with more than 50 other governments -- recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as acting president.  Wood said: "A representative of Juan Guaido should be sitting in that chair right now."

The disarmament conference had been a key UN forum for negotiating major arms control pacts before its work was hampered by a series of diplomatic impasses.