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  1. #1
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    ORGANIZATION of AMERICAN STATES

    http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/st...042909630.html

    Today: April 29, 2005 at 13:38:42 PDT

    Chile Official Likely to Become OAS Chief
    By GEORGE GEDDA
    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -

    Chilean Interior Minister Jose Miguel Insulza was assured election Friday as the next secretary-general of the Organization of American States following the withdrawal of Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez from the race.

    The announcement was made by Colombian Foreign Minister Carolina Barco following intense discussions involving Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Insulza, Derbez and other Latin American diplomats.

    At a foreign ministers meeting in Washington last month, Insulza and Derbez were deadlocked at 17 votes apiece, an outcome that remained unchanged after five ballots.

    The United States backed Derbez but said that either candidate would make an excellent secretary-general.

    Rice and the other diplomats were here for a meeting of the Community of Democracies, an organization of 108 nations that seek to promote democracy worldwide.

    Insulza is expected to be elected unanimously when the OAS reconvenes Monday in Washington to hold the formal election.

    It was not clear why Derbez decided to withdraw. He did not speak during a brief news conference held at midday at a Santiago hotel.

    A State Department official traveling with Rice said she had held a number of discussions in recent days during her travels to see if it was possible to break the deadlock between Insulza and Derbez.

    The official, discussing the sensitive ticklish issue only on the grounds of anonymity, said that Derbez and several foreign ministers who supported his candidacy went to her hotel suite Friday morning to inform her that the Mexican diplomat was withdrawing his candidacy.

    Asked whether it was apparent that Derbez had lost support in recent days, the official said it was not clear whether the deadlock had been broken, but added that Derbez said he is pulling out in the interests of hemispheric unity.

    Insulza said his goals as secretary-general will be the strengthening, protection and promotion of democracy in the hemisphere.

    Citing the 2001 OAS Democratic Charter, Insulza said that governments in the hemisphere that are not democratically elected "should be held accountable by the OAS."

    The official also said the U.S. delegation here was quite pleased with Insulza's emphasis on democracy and the need for effective government in his remarks earlier in the day.

    Speaking through a translator, Insulza also said there should be an OAS commission to assure that all citizens share in the benefits of democracy. He expressed hope that Cuba, the lone hemispheric country which is not an active member of the 34-nation organization, will undergo a transition to democracy.

    Among other priorities, Insulza mentioned the need to end the four-decade civil war in Colombia and the need to patrol the trafficking of small and light arms in the hemisphere.

    One of Chile's top political figures, Insulza, 62, is known by the nickname "The Panzer" for his political weight and influence.

    A lawyer who has been a Chilean cabinet official for 10 years, he served as a foreign affairs minister before being named interior minister by President Ricardo Lagos, a close friend and fellow socialist.

    Insulza was exiled for over a decade in Mexico and Italy by the rightest military regime of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who ruled from 1973 to 1990.

    The position of secretary-general opened up last fall when the former Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodriguez resigned over allegations of financial wrongdoing back home.

    He had been in office less than a month.

    Rice was on the third leg of a four-nation Latin America tour, during which she has repeatedly stressed the need for effective democracy in the hemisphere.

    She was due to fly to El Salvador on Friday for talks with senior officials before returning home on Saturday.
    --

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  2. #2
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
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    Yes, indeedy!!! Good one 2ndamendsis. Did you note that Insulsa was "exiled" to Mexico for 10 years.
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