ORGANIZATION OF THE AMERICAN STATES

November 3, 1998

The Organization of American States is to unveil a strategic plan tomorrow under which it will help Central American nations that were hard-hit by Hurricane Mitch last weekend, Ricardo Avila, chief of staff for the OAS secretary general said.

Speaking before the organization’s hemispheric security committee today, member country representatives expressed solidarity with the affected countries after the ambassadors of Honduras and Nicaragua reported on the extent of the tragedy in their respective countries. A Permanent Council meeting has been set for Wednesday morning to take up the matter of work underway to deliver immediate aid to the disaster areas.

Mr. Avila said at the meeting that on instructions from the secretary general, the assistance plan would involve the Pan American Development Foundation and would seek assistance from multilateral and private corporations and the general public to contribute to solving the problems afflicting those sister countries and to utilize the network of OAS offices in each affected country.

At Thursday’s Permanent Council meeting an oral report is to be delivered on a comprehensive and final peace accord between Ecuador and Peru, and another one concerns the Ibero-American Summit held in Oporto, Portugal recently. The Council meeting will be chaired by Venezuelan ambassador Francisco Paparoni.