It appears only around a dozen heads of state from the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement made it to the meeting held on the Caribbean island of Margarita, just off Venezuela's coast, in a blow for a government keen to bolster its international legitimacy. Yet the turnout from the 120-nation Cold War-era bloc has paled compared with past meetings, including the previous summit in Iran in 2012, attended by some 35 heads of state. Maduro revels in support from Zimbabwe, Iran as critics decry failed summit

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reveled in support from leftist allies during a summit of a Cold War-era bloc that wrapped up on Sunday, but critics pilloried him for hosting unpopular leaders such as Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and for failing to draw many world leaders. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

But the low turnout after months of shuttle diplomacy handing out invitations is likely to embolden Maduro's opponents, who are pushing for a recall referendum to remove him from office before his term ends in 2019.
Around ten heads of state attend the 17th Non-aligned Movement summit in Isla Margarita, Venezuela, including Evo Morales of Bolivia, Raúl Castro of Cuba, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Hassan Rouhani of Iran, Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, and Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro.