Organization of American States
(E-190/01) OAS CONVENING MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS
A special session of the Organization of American States (OAS) Permanent Council decided today, by acclamation, to convene a meeting of consultation of the hemisphere's foreign ministers, for September 21, to consider international terrorism as a threat to hemispheric security, in light of the devastating attacks in the United States last week. By acclamation as well, the Permanent Council—the OAS' second highest decision-making body—decided to convert itself into the Organ of Consultation provided for under Article 12 of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) and call a meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs for that date, "to agree on measures that should be taken for the common defense of the Hemisphere and for the maintenance of peace and security therein." Mexico put forward the first draft resolution, and Brazil the second. Both received the unanimous support of the member state delegations. The Permanent Council decision followed a presentation by the United States Ambassador, Roger Noriega, as well as an update on steps being taken by the U.S. government to prevent such acts from recurring. The Permanent Council also condemned the terrorist acts carried out in United States this past September 11 as an attack against the states of the Americas. Thousands of citizens from many OAS member countries and other nations perished in the terrorist acts. Repudiating those acts of terrorism as "an affront to human dignity and the rule of law and as a danger to the peace and security in the Americas," the Permanent Council also expressed the collective conviction that "this threat to democracy requires united and concerted action to protect and defend the free exercise of democracy." The OAS resolution also calls upon "the governments of the member states and all other governments to use all necessary and available means to pursue, capture and punish those responsible for these attacks, and to prevent additional attacks." During the meeting, a number of Permanent Representatives took the floor to express their concern over the September 11 terrorist acts perpetrated against innocent civilians from many countries. They also reaffirmed their solidarity with the people and government of the United States in the wake of a tragedy that has thrown the international community into mourning. Permanent Observers expressed similar sentiments in addressing the OAS Permanent Council meeting. ********** |