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OAS Elects Chilean as New Secretary-General
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(http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D4275E:2AB91D3

Jose Miguel Insulza receives 31 votes from 34-member organization
during balloting at OAS headquarters in Washington Monday





Jose Miguel Insulza

After weeks of diplomatic maneuvering and multiple votes, the
Organization of American States has a new secretary general, a top
official of the Chilean government, Jose Miguel Insulza.

In Monday's balloting, Chilean Interior Minister Jose Miguel Insulza,
the only remaining candidate for the post of secretary general after
the withdrawal of Mexico's foreign secretary, Luis Ernesto Derbez,
received 31 of the 34 votes cast. There were no votes against Mr.
Insulza, although Mexico and Bolivia abstained and Peru cast a blank
ballot.

Addressing the body, comprised of all nations of the Americas except
Cuba, Mr. Insulza voiced his expectations for the region.

He said, "The people of the Americas have a right to democracy. And
the governments have the obligation to generate conditions of good
governance, and to exercise their mandate in a democratic fashion.
Citizens' fundamental rights must be amply respected, including public
liberties and the rights of minorities. Only in this way can social,
political, economic and cultural progress be promoted."

In congratulating Mr. Insulza, numerous diplomats spoke of regional
unity and consensus. Yet those qualities were in short supply for much
of last month, as repeated votes for secretary general ended in a tie.

Just before Monday's vote, there was still dissension. Peru said it
could not vote for a Chilean candidate, given Chile's alleged support
for Ecuador in the decades-old border dispute between Ecuador and
Peru. Bolivian Foreign Minister Juan Ignacio Siles complained of
Chilean obstructionism regarding Bolivia's long-standing quest to
regain direct access to the Pacific Ocean, which was lost in a series
of conflicts beginning in the late 1800s.

Mr. Siles said, "We are a peaceful people. We believe in integration
with our neighbors. But we are convinced that, without justice there
cannot be true integration, and we will never give up our demand for
access to the sea."

But virtually every other nation praised Mr. Insulza and his election.
Addressing the body, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western
Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega congratulated the new secretary
general and expressed hope for a unified hemispheric agenda on several
key points. "Advancing our shared values of democracy and human rights
as enshrined in the Inter-American Democratic Charter, in all of the
Americas, including in Cuba. [And] Strengthening democratic
institutions, so that governments that are elected democratically
govern democratically. And that those who fail to do so are held
accountable."

Several nations paid tribute to U.S. diplomat Luigi Einaudi, who had
led the OAS on an interim basis since last October.